EO·Atlas
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E)
Twelve-channel, six-frequency conical-scan passive-microwave imaging radiometer on NASA Aqua (launched 2002-05-04). Developed and provided by JAXA; built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. Offset parabolic reflector 1.6 m diameter, conical scan at 40 rpm, Earth incidence angle 55 deg, swath 1450 km. Frequency bands: 6.925, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 89.0 GHz, V and H polarisation at all channels. Retrieved sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, precipitation, water vapour, and ocean wind speed. Operated 9+ years against a 3-year design life; rotation halted 2011-10-04 due to antenna bearing failure (motor torque exceeded 4.5 Nm limit).
The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) was a twelve-channel, six-frequency conical-scan passive-microwave imaging radiometer developed and provided by JAXA, built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and flown aboard the NASA Aqua satellite, which launched on 4 May 2002.[1][2] AMSR-E was the first JAXA-provided instrument aboard a NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) spacecraft.
The instrument used an offset parabolic reflector 1.6 m in diameter, rotating at 40 rpm in a conical scan geometry at a fixed Earth incidence angle of 55 degrees, producing a swath width of 1450 km. This geometry provided near-daily global coverage over the instrument's operational life.[1][3]
AMSR-E operated at six frequency bands: 6.925, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, and 89.0 GHz, with both vertical and horizontal polarisation at each channel, totalling twelve measurement channels.[1] Spatial footprint at 6.925 GHz was reported as 43 x 75 km by JAXA EORC[1] and as 74 x 43 km by NASA Earthdata[3], reflecting a difference in axis convention (along-track x cross-track versus cross-track x along-track) between the two sources; the physical footprint dimensions are equivalent. At 89.0 GHz the instrument carried two feedhorns, achieving footprints of approximately 3.7 x 6.5 km and 3.5 x 5.9 km.[1]
AMSR-E retrieved a suite of geophysical variables including sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration and extent, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, atmospheric water vapour, precipitation rate, and ocean wind speed.[3][2] These retrievals supported climate and weather applications including sea ice mapping and global water cycle monitoring.
Designed for a three-year operational life, AMSR-E operated for more than nine years before experiencing a rotation anomaly in which increased rotation friction caused torque to exceed the design limit.[4] Its observations and rotation halted automatically on 4 October 2011.[4] Later slow-rotation observations were collected at 2 rotations per minute from 4 December 2012 to 4 December 2015, distinct from the earlier normal-speed observations.[5]
Pricing not publicly listed by operator
Supply chain position
- Multi-frequency microwave imaging radiometryvia Aqua
- Sea-surface temperature retrievalvia Aqua
AMSR-E is a passive-microwave SST-capable radiometer for cloudy/all-weather ocean continuity.
- Satellite precipitation retrieval
Passive-microwave input sensor class used by IMERG-era precipitation retrievals; full IMERG/GMI product row is open.
- [1]AMSR-E sensor specifications, JAXA EORC AMSR webagency doc2026-06-04
- [2]AMSR-E instrument page, Aqua Project Science, NASAagency doc2026-06-04
- [3]Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer EOS, NASA Earthdataagency doc2026-06-04
- [4]Observation Halted by AMSR-E, JAXA press release 2011-10-04agency doc2026-06-04
- [5]AMSR-E Slow Rotation Data, JAXA EORCagency doc2026-10-19
How to cite this page
Plain text
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E). EO-Atlas, SpectraWorks B.V. https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/amsr-e (CC BY 4.0)
BibTeX
@misc{eoatlas:products:sensor:amsr-e,
title = {Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E)},
author = {{EO-Atlas}},
publisher = {SpectraWorks B.V.},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
url = {https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/amsr-e}
}