GPM Mission Briefing

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) is an international satellite mission that will set a new standard for precipitation measurements from space, providing the next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours. The GPM mission data will advance our understanding of the water and energy cycles and extend the use of precipitation data to directly benefit society.  The GPM Core Observatory will fly 253 miles (407 kilometers) above Earth in an orbit inclined 65-degrees to the equator. This orbit allows the Core Observatory to observe precipitation from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle at different times of day so it is able to observe changing storm and weather systems that behave differently during day and night. Normal operations will begin about 60 days after launch.  Data will be downlinked through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center's Precipitation Processing Center in Greenbelt, Md., where it will be processed and distributed over the Internet. The GPM Core Observatory, built by NASA Goddard, will launch on an H-IIA rocket provided by JAXA. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is managing the launch.  Speaking at the event were:

Steven Neeck, deputy associate director, flight program, Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington
Kinji Furukawa, deputy project manager JAXA GPM/DPR project
Art Azarbarzin, GPM project manager, Goddard (NASA)