HOUSTON — NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will conduct a series of research flights from Ellington Field in Houston between June 3 and June 13, 2026, as part of the Student Airborne Research Program (SARP). Five research aircraft will support the mission, which focuses on studying atmospheric and coastal processes in the Houston area and over the Gulf of America.

Flights will primarily operate in the Houston region, with select maneuvers conducted at low altitudes, including as low as 1,000 feet above ground level by NOAA’s WP-3D Orion. Pilots will execute remote sensing operations in raster patterns—parallel back-and-forth lines—to collect consistent observational data across targeted zones.

The participating aircraft include three NASA-operated planes: the Gulfstream V (N95NA), Gulfstream C-20A (N802NA), and Gulfstream III (N520NA). NOAA will contribute its WP-3D Orion (N43RF), an aircraft typically used as a hurricane hunter and previously deployed on multiple NASA airborne science missions. A King Air B200 (N46L), owned by Dynamic Aviation and contracted by NASA, will also take part in the operations.

NASA’s aircraft are equipped with an array of remote sensing instruments, including two lidars, a synthetic-aperture radar, an imaging spectrometer, and two spectrometers. The WP-3D Orion carries numerous scientific instruments, radars, and recording systems designed for in-flight and remote measurements of the atmosphere, Earth, and its surrounding environment.

Data gathered during the flights aim to help researchers map the movement of gases and particles in Earth’s atmosphere, observe changes in the lowest atmospheric layer near the coast, and analyze natural processes affecting regional land and water systems. The mission supports SARP, an eight-week summer internship that gives undergraduate students hands-on experience in field research, data analysis, and access to NASA Airborne Science Program flying laboratories. Real-time tracking of the aircraft is available through the NASA Airborne Science Program Tracker.