Visualization of the GPM Core Observatory in space over a hurricane with constellation satellites in the background.

Mission Articles

GPM Satellite Passes Check-out, Starts Mission
On May 29, GPM Deputy Project Manager Candace Carlisle (left) handed over the "key" to the GPM Core Observatory to GPM Mission Director James Pawloski (center, blue shirt). Also pictured, left to right, Wynn Watson, Art Azarbarzin, Gail Skofronick-Jackson and David Ward. Image Credit: NASA The new Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory satellite is now in the hands of the engineers who will fly the spacecraft and ensure the steady flow of data on rain and snow for the life of the mission. The official handover to the NASA / Goddard Earth Science Mission Operations team at NASA’s...
First Images from NASA-JAXA GPM Satellite
On March 10, the Core Observatory passed over an extra-tropical cyclone about 1055 miles (1700 kilometers) due east of Japan's Honshu Island. Satellite data shows the full range of precipitation in the storm. Image Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Download related multimedia in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have released the first images captured by their newest Earth-observing satellite, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, which launched into space Feb. 27. The images...
 NASA & JAXA Launch Satellite to Measure Global Rain and Snow
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), thundered into space at 1:37 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 27 (3:37 a.m. JST Friday, Feb. 28) from Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket with the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory onboard, is seen launching from the Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, Japan. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls The four-ton spacecraft launched aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space...
GPM's H-IIA Rocket Rolls Out to the Launch Pad
The H-IIA rocket with the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory aboard rolled out to Launch Pad 1 at 1:04 p.m. on Feb. 27 (Japan time) at Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. The rocket is scheduled to lift off during a launch window that opens at 3:37 a.m. (JST) on Feb. 28. (1:37 p.m. Feb. 27 EST). A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory is seen as it rolls out to its launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Image Credit: NASA/BIll Ingalls After an overnight rainstorm, clear skies and a...
GPM's Rehearsal Weekend at Tanegashima
This video introduces Minamitame Town, near the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tanegashima Space Center, from where the Global Precipitation Measurement mission's Core Observatory is scheduled to launch on the afternoon of Feb. 27, 2014 (EST). Image Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Michael Starobin Download this video in HD formats from the Scientific Visualization Studio On the first floor of the Spacecraft Test and Assembly building at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tanegashima Space Center, Japan, a skeleton crew of blue-shirted NASA engineers for the Global...
GPM Core Observatory Encapsulated into Rocket Fairing
Credit: NASA / JAXA On Feb. 11, the Core Observatory was moved into the spacecraft fairing assembly building and into the Encapsulation Hall. Final inspections and preparations were completed for the installation into the fairing, which began on Feb 13. The fairing is the part of the rocket that will contain the spacecraft at the top of the H-IIA rocket. Credit: NASA / JAXA The encapsulation process for the H-IIA is very different than for most U.S. rockets. For U.S. rockets, the fairing is usually in two pieces that close around the payload like a clamshell. To install the GPM Core...
NASA, JAXA Prepare GPM Satellite for Launch
Watch the GPM L-30 Press Briefing on Youtube: Part 1: GPM Mission Briefing Part 2: GPM Science Briefing The world enters a new era of global weather observing and climate science in February with the launch of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a new international science satellite built by NASA. GPM, a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is scheduled to launch Feb. 27 from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The observatory will link data from a constellation of current and planned satellites to produce next-generation global...
GPM Liftoff
A Japanese H-IIA rocket with the NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory onboard, is seen launching from the Tanegashima Space Center, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 (Friday Feb. 28 in Japan). The GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. . Download in High Resolution from the Scientific Visualization Studio Launch Date: February 27th 2014 Launch Time: 1:37 pm ET Launch Vehicle: HII-A Rocket Launch Site...
New Video Shows GPM's Journey to Japan
Pack it up, put it on a plane and fly it to Japan. It sounds simple enough, but a new video from NASA shows when your package is a satellite, it's anything but. NASA's new video, "GPM's Journey to Japan," highlights the unique shipment of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission's Core Observatory by air, land and sea. Built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., the GPM spacecraft travelled roughly 7,300 miles (11,750 kilometers) to its launch site at Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island, Japan, where it is scheduled for liftoff on Feb. 27, 2014, at 1:07 p.m...
GPM Completes Spacecraft Alignments
After a holiday break, final tests for the GPM Core Observatory resumed on Dec. 30, 2013, with alignment measurements. The spacecraft's instruments and components, such as star trackers and thrusters, are attached to the main body in specific configurations. Spacecraft alignment measurement is analogous to alignment for the wheels of a car. The Core Observatory measurements ensure that no parts have shifted during its transportation from the United States to Japan, so they will work as expected. The GPM Core Observatory in the clean room at Tanegashima Space Center, Japan Image Credit: NASA /...

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