A Historical Overview of Remote Sensing of the Asian Seas

In this chapter we give an overview of national and international satellite missions that have been developed over the past decades. After first earth observation (EO) missions had started in the 1960s, the first remote sensing satellite observing, among others, the Asian Seas were launched in the 1970s. Nowadays, a wealth of earth-orbiting satellites is in place, carrying a variety of sophisticated sensors that can be used for routine surveillance, but also to gain deeper insight into specific processes in the marine environment. While most recent sensors and applications will be described in the following book chapters, here, we focus on historical sensors and missions, and we provide some examples of Remote Sensing of the Asian Seas, in the early days of spaceborne missions.