Japan's ALOS in orbit: ESA will deliver its data to European researchers (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

24 January 2006

Japan's ALOS in orbit: ESA will deliver its data to European researchers

ALOS, Japan's latest Earth Observation satellite, was successfully
launched at 02:33 CET (10:33 Japan time [0133 UTC]) on 24 January.
Environmental data and imagery from ALOS will be provided to European and
African users through a cooperative agreement between ESA and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) is a four-tonne satellite
dedicated to land-based Earth Observation. It was lifted-off from the
Tanegashima Space Centre on an H-IIA launch vehicle, which will deliver
ALOS into a 700-km polar orbit.

ESA is supporting ALOS as a 'Third Party Mission', which means the Agency
will utilise its multi-mission ground systems of existing national and
industrial facilities and expertise to acquire, process and distribute
data from the satellite. Based on a Memorandum of Understanding with JAXA,
approved at ESA Council in December and now ready for signature, ESA will
host the ALOS European Data Node (ADEN), delivering near-real time and
offline data to scientific and operational users across Europe as well as
Africa.

ALOS has multiple objectives: to support improved cartography, especially
within the Asia-Pacific region, to gather environmental observations in
support of sustainable development efforts, to survey natural resources,
to develop technologies for further Earth Observation missions and to
monitor disasters on a worldwide basis -- JAXA having signed the
International Charter on Major Disasters in February 2005.

The satellite carries a payload of three instruments: the Phased Array
type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), a microwave radar
instrument that can acquire observations during both day and night and
through any weather conditions; the Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument
of Stereo Mapping (PRISM) which can observe selected areas in three
dimensions, down to a high 2.5-metre spatial resolution; and the Advanced
Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type-2 (AVNIR-2), designed to chart
land cover and vegetation in visible and near infrared spectral bands.

Observing in L-band wavelength, PALSAR will complement ESA radar
instruments currently flying on ERS-2 and Envisat operating in C-band
wave, and the European national missions TerraSAR-X and Cosmo SkyMed,
operating in the even shorter X-band.

Regarding optical sensors, the very high resolution together with the
stereo mapping and DEM generation capability of PRISM will be particularly
valuable. AVNIR-2 will provide in addition high resolution multispectral
imagery for use in local to regional studies, complementing the optical
data from medium resolution instruments currently available from ESA.

Following launch, a nine month commissioning phase will begin, with
products set to be available to users from November 2006. ALOS data will
be made available at conditions similar to those of ERS and Envisat
missions, namely for scientific 'Category-1' use as well as commercial
applications.

An ESA Announcement of Opportunity for scientific use of ALOS data has
already received almost 150 proposals which are currently undergoing
evaluation by scientific experts from ESA Member States and JAXA.

Operational and commercial users will be able to receive ALOS data via
commercial distribution schemes. ALOS data will also be available for
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), the joint
initiative by ESA and the European Union to develop an independent
environmental monitoring capability for Europe.

Related articles

* International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' welcomes Japanese
space agency as latest member
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7KAYEM4E_index_0.html

Related Missions

* Third Party Missions overview
http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMP5R2VQUD_index_0_m.html

In depth

* Third Party Missions: ALOS
http://earth.esa.int/missions/thirdpartymission/ALOS.html
* ALOS Data European Node (ADEN)
http://eopi.esa.int/Aden
* International Charter on Space and Major Disasters
http://www.disasterscharter.org/
* EO applications -- Disaster management
http://earth.esa.int/applications/dm/

Related links

* ALOS launch website
http://h2a.jaxa.jp/index_e.html
* ALOS mission website
http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/index.htm
* JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html

[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM0SXMZCIE_index_1.html ]


.

Relevant Pages