GCOM-W and GCOM-C project status

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) initiated GCOM (Global Change Observation Mission) to monitor the global Earth surface and contribute to the research of the climate change and the operational usage. By using the satellite observation data in the climate system model, it is expected that the prediction accuracy of the climate change will be improved. This information will be useful for making a policy against the climate change. GCOM consists of 3 generations of satellites to make observation for more than 10 years. The satellites of the first generation, GCOM-W1 and GCOM-C1, have been developed to aim at the launch in Japanese Fiscal Year 2011 and 2014, respectively.