JAXA and Mitsubishi to launch observatory to monitor global precipitation on Feb 28

TOKYO: Japanese space agency and a leading company will jointly launch a core observatory into space in February to monitor precipitation in almost all parts of the Earth.

The satellite to be used for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, led by Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will be launched aboard an H-2A rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kagoshima between 3:07 am and 5:07 am on February 28, according to JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

The core observatory, together with several secondary satellites, will monitor global precipitation every three hours to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting.

It was jointly developed by JAXA and NASA, and was delivered to Japan after being built in the United States.

It weighs around 4 tons and its width reaches around 13 meters when the solar battery panel is extended.

The H-2A rocket will also carry seven small satellites developed by seven Japanese universities, including Tsukuba and Teikyo universities.