ALOS-2

Daichi 2
Mission type Remote sensing
Operator JAXA
COSPAR ID 2014-029A
SATCAT № 39766
Website www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/alos2/index_j.html
Mission duration 7 years
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass 2,120 kilograms (4,670 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 24 May 2014, 03:05:14 (2014-05-24UTC03:05:14Z) UTC[1]
Rocket H-IIA 202
Launch site Tanegashima Yoshinobu 1
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Sun-synchronous
Semi-major axis 7,008.95 kilometres (4,355.16 mi)[2]
Eccentricity 0.0001543[2]
Perigee 636 kilometres (395 mi)[2]
Apogee 639 kilometres (397 mi)[2]
Inclination 97.92 degrees[2]
Period 97.33 minutes[2]
Epoch 25 January 2015, 10:24:51 UTC[2]
 ALOS

Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), also called Daichi-2, is a 2-ton Japanese satellite launched in 2014. Although the predecessor ALOS satellite had featured 2 optical cameras in addition to 1.2 GHz (L-band) radar, ALOS-2 had optical cameras removed to simplify construction and reduce costs. The PALSAR-2 radar is a significant upgrade of the PALSAR radar, allowing higher-resolution (1x3m per pixel) spotlight modes in addition to the 10m resolution survey mode inherited from the ALOS spacecraft. Also, the SPAISE2 automatic ship identification system and the Compact Infra Red Camera (CIRC) will provide supplementary data about sea-going ships and provide early warnings of missile launches.

Launch

ALOS-2 was launched from Tanegashima, Japan, on 24 May 2014 by a H-IIA rocket.[3]

Mission

The satellite contains a 1.2 GHz synthetic-aperture radar sensor that is intended to be used for cartography, monitoring of naval traffic and disaster monitoring of Asia and the Pacific. JAXA initially hoped to be able to launch the successor to ALOS during 2011, but these plans were delayed until 2014 because of budget restrictions.

See also

References

  1. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ALOS 2 Satellite details 2014-029A NORAD 39766". N2YO. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  3. "Japanese craft launched with night-vision mapping radar". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved: 31 May 2014.

External links

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