Post-launch operational results and current status of ALOS-4

Le résumé fourni par la source

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4) was launched on July 1, 2024. It is the latest satellite in the ALOS series, a line of earth surface observation satellites developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). ALOS-4 carries two key instruments: Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-3 (PALSAR-3) and SPace based AIS for ships Experiment3 (SPAISE3), which are the successors of PALSAR-2 and SPAISE2 aboard ALOS-2. PALSAR-3 expands its observation swath compared to PALSAR-2 by adopting digital beamforming (DBF) technology, which also enhances observation frequency. SPAISE-3 also utilizes DBF, in which beamforming processing is conducted on the ground. This contributes to improved capability to detect ships in high-density maritime areas. With these instruments, ALOS-4 is expected to contribute to various fields such as large-scale disaster response and maritime surveillance. After the launch, the initial functional verification operations were conducted over three months to verify the functionality of satellite systems. Subsequently, the initial calibration and validation operations for PALSAR-3 were completed on March 31, 2025. Since then, regular observation operations based on the Basic Observation Scenario (BOS) have been underway, and observation data have been provided to users. This paper provides a summary of the post-launch operational results, including initial calibration and validation operations, and describes the current operational status of ALOS-4.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.