EO·Atlas
Himawari-9
Japanese geostationary meteorological satellite carrying AHI for continuous weather and environmental observation over East Asia and the western Pacific.
Himawari-9 is the current primary geostationary meteorological satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), stationed at 140.7 degrees east at 35,786 km altitude over East Asia and the western Pacific. It was launched on 2016-11-02 and is a near-identical successor to Himawari-8.[1]
The primary payload is the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), a 16-channel visible and infrared imaging radiometer producing full-disc imagery every 10 minutes and sector scans every 2.5 minutes. AHI data support atmospheric motion vector derivation, sea-surface temperature retrieval, thermal anomaly detection, and aerosol optical depth estimation.[2][3][4] A data-collection system (DCS) supports relay of in-situ environmental measurements.[5]
Himawari-9 assumed primary observation duty from Himawari-8 on 2022-12-13. An imagery anomaly during October-November 2025 caused a temporary handover to Himawari-8; primary service was restored to Himawari-9 on 2025-11-26 per WMO OSCAR.[5][1]
Compositional position
- [1]WMO OSCAR satellite record: Himawari-9agency doc2026-06-14
- [2]JMA outline of Himawari-8/9 geostationary meteorological satellitesagency doc2026-06-14
- [3]JMA Meteorological Satellite Center Himawari-8/9 AHI specificationsagency doc2026-06-14
- [4]WMO OSCAR instrument record: Advanced Himawari Imageragency doc2026-06-14
- [5]NASA Dark Target: AHI on Himawariagency doc2026-06-14