Japanese H-IIA Rocket Launch
Image Caption
The Japanese H-IIA rocket will be launching the GPM Core Observatory into orbit in 2014.
Source: JAXA, Naritama Flickr Page
H-IIA
JAXA Launches GCOM-W1 Satellite
JacobAdmin
Fri, 05/18/2012
Congratulations to our partner, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), for the successful launch yesterday of the Global Change Observation Mission 1st - Water (GCOM-W1). GCOM-W1 carries the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) which successfully deployed its antenna on orbit. AMSR2 will detect microwave radiation to measure sea surface temperature, sea surface wind speed, sea ice concentration, snow depth, soil moisture, water vapor, cloud liquid water, and precipitation. GCOM-W1 will be a part of the GPM constellation, contributing its measurements to the GPM global data