ALOS-2
H-IIA Launch Vehicle Flight 24, launching the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 "Daichi-2". | |
| Names | Daichi-2 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Remote sensing |
| Operator | JAXA |
| COSPAR ID | 2014-029A |
| SATCAT no. | 39766 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 11 years, 23 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Advanced Land Observing Satellite |
| Bus | ALOS |
| Launch mass | 2,120 kg (4,670 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 May 2014, 03:05:14 UTC |
| Rocket | H-IIA 202 |
| Launch site | Tanegashima, Yoshinobu 1 |
| Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 636 km (395 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 639 km (397 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.92° |
| Period | 97.33 minutes |
Advanced Land Observation Satellite | |
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.