OrbitalHub

Credits: JAXA

The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite or GOSAT for short, is getting closer to the launch scheduled for late January 2009. The chosen nickname for GOSAT is IBUKI, which means breath or puff.

IBUKI was encapsulated in the payload fairing after being mounted on the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF). The PAF is the base that connects the satellite and the launch vehicle. All of the integration operations are performed at the Spacecraft and Fairing Assembly building (SFA) at the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC).

The final integration with the launch vehicle will be carried out at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).

GOSAT is the first satellite to observe greenhouse gases from space. The main contributors behind GOSAT are the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), and the Ministry of Environment (MOE).

The data collected by the GOSAT satellite will help us make better estimates as to how different areas on Earth contribute to global warming through the emission of greenhouse gases. The data will also help us understand the behavior of the greenhouse gases by combining global observation data collected on orbit with data collected on the ground, and it will also help us improve simulation models.