Press Release


  This press release is issued by NASDA.

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Move to Initial Function Verification Phase of Midori-II (ADEOS-II)

January 10, 2003 (JST)

National Space Development Agency of Japan

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) executed rotation of the antenna of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR)*1 and cool-down of the Global Imager (GLI)*2 to the set temperature from 3 to 10 January 2003 both aboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite II (ADEOS-II), "Midori-II", which was launched on 14 December 2002. NASDA confirmed that they functioned normally at the result of analyzing the telemetry data from the satellite.

This shows the completion of the planned critical phase (note1) of "Midori-II", which will, then, move to the initial function verification phase (note2) for about 3 months till the mid April to confirm the function of its on-board equipment including sensors.

Currently, the orbit of "Midori-II" is as follows:

Height of Apogee: 813km
Height of Perigee: 775km
Orbital Inclination: 98.7 degrees
Period: 101 mins.
Note 1: This is an early stage operation with difficulty to make an orbital change to the observing orbit and to start up the observing equipment, as well as to confirm a satellite's basic function of ensuring power, 3-axis attitude control, and so on.
Note 2: This covers the functional verification of the on-board observing equipment (obtaining image data, etc.) and the phase to the beginning of the operation phase to conduct the inter-satellite communications experiment, etc. (scheduled at mid April).
Initial observing image data from the sensors will be obtained during the period from late January to early February 2003.

*1 AMSR measures precipitation, sea surface temperature, snow falls, etc. regardless of day and night or the presence of clouds using microwave, and contributes to the understanding of the global circulation of water and energy.
*2 GLI contributes to the understanding of the carbon circulation and weather change at the global level by measuring chlorophyll density, vegetation distribution, etc.