Japan's geostationary meteorological satellite system

Equipment characteristics and missions of the Japanese geostationary meteorological satellites (GMS) are examined. GMS-1 was launched in July 1977 on a NASA Delta vehicle. GMS-2 launched from Japan, was placed into GEO in August 1981. Both spacecraft were designed for a weather watch using a visible/IR spin scan radiometer (VISSR) instrument, collection and distribution of weather data, and monitoring of solar particles. The GMS-1 unit operated on the UHF bands while the second was switched over to S-band. Solar arrays provided battery trickle-charge power with a lifetime of 5 yr. A final instrumentation component common to both spacecraft is a space environment monitor for investigating the effect of solar activity on earth communications systems.