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| AMSR2 | |
|---|---|
| Name | AMSR2 |
| Operator | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
| Spacecraft bus | Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 |
| Launch date | 2012-05-18 |
| Launch site | Tanegashima Space Center |
| Launch vehicle | H-IIA |
| Orbit | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Mass | 350 |
| Power | 800 |
AMSR2 AMSR2 is a spaceborne microwave radiometer flown on the GCOM-W satellite. It continues heritage from the AMSR-E instrument and supports programs led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other partners. The instrument observes microwave emissions from the Earth to retrieve variables related to hydrology, cryosphere, and the atmosphere.
AMSR2 is a passive microwave radiometer installed on the Global Change Observation Mission – Water satellite operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. It follows a lineage including AMSR-E on the Aqua mission and predecessors such as instruments on the Nimbus 5 and Nimbus 7 platforms. AMSR2’s objectives align with programs at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan) and with international initiatives like the Global Climate Observing System and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. The payload supports observational requirements from agencies including NASA, European Space Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and research institutions such as University of Tokyo and ISAS.
The instrument is based on a conical scanning antenna assembly developed by contractors including NEC and system integration by Mitsubishi Electric. AMSR2 measures microwave radiances at multiple frequencies across bands used on prior sensors: 6.9 GHz, 10.65 GHz, 18.7 GHz, 23.8 GHz, 36.5 GHz, and 89.0 GHz, with polarization channels (horizontal and vertical) and dual-beam capability reminiscent of designs from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager and SMMR. The rotating reflector and feedhorn array produce a swath width that enables near-global coverage in a Sun-synchronous orbit with incident angles similar to those used by WindSat and SMAP. Key specifications include spatial resolutions varying from ~5 km to ~60 km, noise-equivalent delta temperature comparable to AMSR-E improvements, instrument mass and power budgets compatible with the GCOM platform, and on-board calibration loads and cold-space views analogous to heritage instruments on Terra and Aqua.
Launched on an H-IIA from Tanegashima Space Center in 2012, the satellite operates in a 13:30 local time descending node configuration to provide diurnal consistency useful for time-series studies promoted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment teams. Mission operations are handled by JAXA with data processing centers coordinated with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology and partner agencies including NASA/GSFC and the Japan Meteorological Agency. Routine operations include scheduled calibration maneuvers, attitude control using reaction wheels and star trackers similar to systems on Himawari geostationary satellites, and contingency coordination with international collision avoidance guidance from United States Space Command. Mission planning incorporates reprocessing campaigns comparable to those executed for the SeaWiFS and MODIS archives.
AMSR2 produces geophysical data products including sea surface temperature, sea surface wind speed, sea-ice concentration, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, precipitation estimates, and integrated water vapor. Processing pipelines implemented at JAXA and international centers follow algorithms derived from work by groups at University of Hamburg, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Bern, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Level-1 radiances are archived alongside geolocation, antenna pattern correction, and quality flags; Level-2 and Level-3 retrievals use radiative transfer models and emissivity databases such as those developed at University of Bremen and CSIRO. Reprocessing cycles adopt intercalibration strategies used in multi-mission blends like ESA Climate Change Initiative datasets and the Global Precipitation Measurement constellation.
AMSR2 supports multidisciplinary studies in cryospheric change, hydrologic monitoring, oceanography, and meteorology. Cryosphere researchers at institutions including University of Alaska Fairbanks, Scott Polar Research Institute, and National Snow and Ice Data Center use ice concentration and thickness proxies to study trends related to Arctic Council assessments. Hydrology applications by groups at University of California, Santa Barbara and Tsinghua University employ soil moisture and snow water equivalent for flood forecasting and drought monitoring relevant to agencies such as UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Oceanographers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution use wind and sea-ice products to study mesoscale processes and polar marginal ice zones, while climate modelers at Met Office and NASA GISS assimilate AMSR2 retrivals into reanalyses and Earth system models.
Calibration approaches combine on-board blackbody loads, cold-sky views, and vicarious calibration using reference sites and campaigns coordinated with groups like International Space Science Institute and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. Validation activities involve shipborne radiometers, buoy networks such as TAO/TRITON and Argo, aircraft campaigns from institutions like NASA Ames Research Center and field programs supported by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Cross-calibration with instruments on SNPP and GPM and heritage comparisons to AMSR-E establish long-term continuity strategies used by the Global Climate Observing System.
Data distribution and collaborative science leverage partnerships among JAXA, NASA, the European Space Agency, national meteorological services including Japan Meteorological Agency and Met Office, and universities worldwide. Open data policies provide access through data centers modeled after infrastructures at NASA Earthdata, ESA Earth Online, and national data archives like JAXA Data Archive. International working groups, including those under CEOS and the World Meteorological Organization, coordinate algorithm development, intercomparison projects, and capacity building to maximize AMSR2’s contribution to operational forecasting, climate monitoring, and applied science.
Category:Earth observation satellites Category:JAXA missions Category:Microwave radiometry