The ascent plan of GCOM-W1 to the Afternoon Constellation (A-Train)

The Global Change Observation Mission (GCOM) is JAXA’s project for the global and long-term observation of the Earth environment. GCOM is expected to play an important role in monitoring global water circulation and climate change. It will be a kind of health checkup of the Earth from space. GCOM-W1 is the first satellite in the GCOM-W series and carries the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), whose mission it is to observe the Earth’s water cycle mechanism. The Afternoon Constellation (A-Train) is an Earth observation satellite constellation led by NASA. The orbits of the satellites in the A-Train are strictly controlled so that the satellites can observe the same locations on Earth within approximately 10 minutes of each other. Currently, the A-Train consists of four satellites: Aqua (NASA), CloudSat (NASA), CALIPSO (NASA/CNES), and Aura (NASA). GCOM-W1 will join the A-Train, and its participation will enable simultaneous observation with instruments mounted on other satellites and enhance scientific research using AMSR2 data. This document describes the strategies of ascent maneuvers from launch to injection into the A-Train, recovery operations from contingency, and orbit maintenance operations after entering the A-Train. This document is provided by JAXA. i Table of