System design and examination of spaceborne microwave rain-scatterometer

The remote sensing of precipitation, especially rain by the spaceborne weather radar is an important subject which has not been realized. The system design and examination of the spaceborne weather radar which is called as the spaceborne microwave rain-scatterometer are performed by considering user's requirements to observe rain, the restrictions derived from the interface with satellite and the state of the art and the possibility of spaceborne microwave technology. Characteristic parameters for spaceborne microwave rain-scatterometer are determined based on the user's requirements for the system. Functions and performances of each subsystem (antenna, transmitters, receivers and data transmission processor) with the detailed block diagram of the total system of spaceborne microwave rain-scatterometer are shown. All of the critical items of hardware in the development of spaceborne microwave rain-scatterometer are also discussed.     

ETS-II Experiments Part I: Japan's First Geostationary Satellite

Engineering Test Satellite Type II (ETS-11) "Kiku-2" was launched on February 23, 1977, and positioned in geostationary orbit at 130°E on March 5. Propagation experiments have been carried out by using 3 coherent beacons at 1.7, 11.5, and 34.5 GHz on a 24 h/day basis from late in April. The project and related plans are outlined. The 4 papers which follow in this Transactions introduce the experimental system and preliminary results using data from May to November 1977.     

Propagation experiment with Japanese satellite,ETS-II (KIKU-2)

The first Japanese geostationary satellite, Engineering Test Satellite Type II [Kiku-2], has been successfully placed at 130°E at the beginning of March 1977.Using beacon transmitters at three coherent frequencies of 1.7, 11.5 and 34.5 GHz which are installed in ETS-II, the Radio Research Laboratories (RRL) of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MOPT) conduct propagation experiments to obtain preliminary information for the Experimental Communication Satellite (ECS) experiment.The experimental system for propagation experiment with ETS-II is composed of a main receiving station, a rain radar, a radio-meter, meteorological instruments and data handling computers.The receiving data, including signal levels of co- and cross-polarization in these frequencies and phase differences between each of these frequencies and polarization, are sampled every 200 msec.The satellite-to-Earth propagation experiment at the highest frequency has been satisfactorily started on 11 March 1977.