Willett said the rocket is launched into electrified clouds to measure conditions, principally how the electric potential or voltage changes with altitude. Then a small rocket, trailing a copper wire, is launched to trigger a lightning flash. The launch team and their equipment are inside a trailer that is modified to serve as a Faraday cage, a sort of electrical isolation chamber that conducts any stray lightning around them. We'll have to take measurements in advance and say it is safe to launch, or it is not safe. For the time being, launch sites like Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center operate with lightning safety constraints that cost them a few launch opportunities, but minimize the chance of getting struck.
Scientists discuss biology, safety, and statistics of lightning strikes.
Poster papers on hurricanes and tornadoes summarized. Thunderstorms generate elusive and mysterious sprites. Preview of the 11th International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity. We are quite sure that it's safe before a rocket launches. But it leads to a reduction in launch opportunities.