Engineering:ALOS-2

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Short description: Japanese satellite launched in 2014
Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2
H-IIA F24 launching DAICHI-2.jpg
H-IIA Launch Vehicle Flight 24, launching the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 "Daichi-2".
NamesDaichi-2
Mission typeRemote sensing
OperatorJAXA
COSPAR ID2014-029A
SATCAT no.39766
Websitewww.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/alos2/index_j.html
Mission duration9 years, 8 months, 29 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeAdvanced Land Observing Satellite
BusALOS
Launch mass2,120 kg (4,670 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date24 May 2014, 03:05:14 UTC[1]
RocketH-IIA 202
Launch siteTanegashima, Yoshinobu 1
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimeSun-synchronous orbit
Perigee altitude636 km (395 mi)
Apogee altitude639 km (397 mi)
Inclination97.92°
Period97.33 minutes
Advanced Land Observation Satellite
← ALOS
ALOS-3 →
 

Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), also called Daichi-2, is a 2,120 kg (4,670 lb) Japanese satellite launched in 2014. Although the predecessor ALOS satellite had featured 2 optical cameras in addition to L-band (1.2 GHz/25 cm) 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 (1 x 3 m per pixel) spotlight modes in addition to the 10 m 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.[3]

Launch

ALOS-2 was launched from Tanegashima, Japan, on 24 May 2014 by a H-IIA rocket.[4]

Mission

The satellite contains a 1.2 GHz synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) sensor that is intended to be used for cartography, monitoring of naval traffic and disaster monitoring of Asia and the Pacific.[3] 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

External links