Article Posted on : - Jan 23, 2009

Launch of Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite. JAXA photo

TOKYO (BNS): The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT) was launched by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No 15 (H-IIA F15) at 12:54 pm (Japan Standard Time, JST) on Friday from the Tanegashima Space Center.

According to official space agency JAXA, the launch vehicle flew smoothly, and, at about 16 minutes after liftoff, the separation of IBUKI was confirmed.

IBUKI's mission is to carefully monitor changes in the effects of greenhouse gasses without overlooking minute changes so that it can contribute to our future, JAXA said.
The H-IIA Launch Vehicle is a "H2A202" model with two solid rocket boosters (SRBs). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is in charge of the launch service of the H-IIA.

The launch was rescheduled from Thursday to Friday due to “an excessive volume of clouds including a freezing layer” around the launch site.

The main mission of the launch vehicle was to inject its main payload, satellite "IBUKI" into its scheduled orbit, the sun-synchronous sub-recurrent orbit, then to inject seven other piggyback payloads into their respective orbits one by one.

In order to promote preventive measures for global warming it is essential to study the greenhouse gases that cause global warming on earth.

“IBUKI" is a collaborative project by JAXA, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES,) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE).

According to JAXA, it is “world's first satellite to observe global greenhouse gasses from space. Data acquired by the "IBUKI" will be utilized to learn the "current" status of the earth concerning global warming.

“The impact of greenhouse gases has been dramatically more obvious in the last few decades. If the situation is left to continue unchecked, the temperature is said to increase by 6 degrees Celsius by 2100, and the risk of more extreme climate phenomena such as droughts, heat waves, and floods is expected to increase,” the Asian space agency said.

IBUKI has high precision sensor and about 56,000 observation points, and can accurately acquire detailed data on greenhouse gases that have not been accurately measured before.

“By establishing the precise observing methods for not only emissions but also the movement and absorption of greenhouse gases, we will make a huge leap forward in controlling global warming. The IBUKI project is an essential mission for the future of the earth,” claims JAXA.

When the IBUKI's operations start, updated data will be acquired every three days from many observation points on earth. This data will be distributed free to scientists. The satellite will fly around the earth in about 100 minutes while measuring greenhouse gases almost all over the surface of the earth through its sensor.