# Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) *sensor . products* Seven-frequency conical-scan passive-microwave imaging radiometer on JAXA GCOM-W1 Shizuku (launched 2012-05-18). Developed and provided by JAXA; instrument development and calibration by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (satellite bus by NEC Space Technologies). Offset parabolic reflector 2.0 m diameter, conical scan at 40 rpm, Earth incidence angle 55 deg, nominal swath 1450 km (effective 1620 km). Frequency bands: 6.925, 7.3, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 89.0 GHz, V and H polarisation. The 7.3 GHz band is an addition over AMSR-E for radio-frequency interference mitigation. Retrieves sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, precipitation, water vapour, and ocean wind speed. Global coverage >99% every 2 days. ## Specifications - **manufacturer**: mitsubishi-electric - **product status**: operational - **deployment context**: orbital - **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"radiometer","measurement_principle":"passive","frequency_bands_ghz":[6.925,7.3,10.65,18.7,23.8,36.5,89],"polarisation_modes":["V","H"],"scan_type":"conical","scan_rate_rpm":40,"incidence_angle_deg":55,"antenna_diameter_m":2,"mass_kg":405,"swath_km":1450,"resolution_per_band_km":[{"frequency_ghz":6.925,"footprint_km":"35x62"},{"frequency_ghz":7.3,"footprint_km":"35x62"},{"frequency_ghz":10.65,"footprint_km":"24x42"},{"frequency_ghz":18.7,"footprint_km":"14x22"},{"frequency_ghz":23.8,"footprint_km":"15x26"},{"frequency_ghz":36.5,"footprint_km":"7x12"},{"frequency_ghz":89,"footprint_km":"3x5"}],"notes":"7.3 GHz band added vs AMSR-E for RFI discrimination. Mass 405 kg per eoPortal. GCOM-W1 launched 2012-05-17/18 (JAXA press: 17 May local; eoPortal: 17 May 2012). Global coverage >99% in 2 days."} - **entity type**: sensor - **last verified date**: 2026-06-04 - **verified by**: agency-doc - **claim status**: agency-sourced - **provider**: mitsubishi-electric - **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","manufacturer":"mitsubishi-electric","product_status":"operational","deployment_context":"orbital","description":"Seven-frequency conical-scan passive-microwave imaging radiometer on JAXA GCOM-W1 Shizuku (launched 2012-05-18). Developed and provided by JAXA; instrument development and calibration by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (satellite bus by NEC Space Technologies). Offset parabolic reflector 2.0 m diameter, conical scan at 40 rpm, Earth incidence angle 55 deg, nominal swath 1450 km (effective 1620 km). Frequency bands: 6.925, 7.3, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 89.0 GHz, V and H polarisation. The 7.3 GHz band is an addition over AMSR-E for radio-frequency interference mitigation. Retrieves sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, precipitation, water vapour, and ocean wind speed. Global coverage >99% every 2 days.","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"radiometer\",\"measurement_principle\":\"passive\",\"frequency_bands_ghz\":[6.925,7.3,10.65,18.7,23.8,36.5,89],\"polarisation_modes\":[\"V\",\"H\"],\"scan_type\":\"conical\",\"scan_rate_rpm\":40,\"incidence_angle_deg\":55,\"antenna_diameter_m\":2,\"mass_kg\":405,\"swath_km\":1450,\"resolution_per_band_km\":[{\"frequency_ghz\":6.925,\"footprint_km\":\"35x62\"},{\"frequency_ghz\":7.3,\"footprint_km\":\"35x62\"},{\"frequency_ghz\":10.65,\"footprint_km\":\"24x42\"},{\"frequency_ghz\":18.7,\"footprint_km\":\"14x22\"},{\"frequency_ghz\":23.8,\"footprint_km\":\"15x26\"},{\"frequency_ghz\":36.5,\"footprint_km\":\"7x12\"},{\"frequency_ghz\":89,\"footprint_km\":\"3x5\"}],\"notes\":\"7.3 GHz band added vs AMSR-E for RFI discrimination. Mass 405 kg per eoPortal. GCOM-W1 launched 2012-05-17/18 (JAXA press: 17 May local; eoPortal: 17 May 2012). Global coverage >99% in 2 days.\"}"} ## Editorial The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) is a seven-frequency conical-scan passive-microwave imaging radiometer developed and provided by JAXA, flying aboard GCOM-W1 Shizuku, which launched on 17 May 2012.[^jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw] Instrument development and on-orbit calibration are credited to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; the satellite bus was built by NEC Space Technologies.[^jaxa-satnavi-award] The instrument uses an offset parabolic reflector 2.0 m in diameter, rotating at 40 rpm to achieve a conical scan at a fixed Earth incidence angle of 55 degrees. The nominal swath width is 1450 km (effective swath 1620 km), providing global surface coverage of more than 99% within two days.[^jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw][^nasa-earthdata-amsr2] AMSR2 observes at six primary frequency bands shared with its predecessor AMSR-E: 6.925, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, and 89.0 GHz, each with vertical and horizontal polarisation.[^nasa-earthdata-amsr2] A seventh band at 7.3 GHz was added specifically for radio-frequency interference (RFI) discrimination, allowing contaminated data to be identified and mitigated.[^jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw] Spatial footprint at 6.925 GHz is 35 x 62 km, narrowing to 3 x 5 km at 89.0 GHz.[^jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw] The instrument retrieves a wide set of geophysical variables over ocean and land: sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, atmospheric water vapour, precipitation rate, and ocean wind speed.[^jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw][^nasa-earthdata-amsr2][^remss-amsr] These retrievals support operational oceanography, cryosphere monitoring, weather forecasting, and climate science applications. AMSR2 continues and extends the AMSR-E data record, which ended in October 2011. The addition of the 7.3 GHz RFI band and the larger antenna aperture (2.0 m versus 1.6 m) are key design advances over AMSR-E.[^jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw][^remss-amsr] ## Compositional position - gcom-w1 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) ## Sources - [jaxa-eorc-amsr-gcomw] | AMSR-related Satellite Catalog -- GCOM-W1, JAXA EORC | https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/AMSR/satellite/gcom-w_en.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-04 - [nasa-earthdata-amsr2] | Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2, NASA Earthdata | https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/data/instruments/amsr2 | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-04 - [remss-amsr] | AMSR2 and AMSR-E mission page, Remote Sensing Systems | https://www.remss.com/missions/amsr/ | tier=operator-datasheet | accessed=2026-06-04 - [jaxa-satnavi-award] | Certificates of Appreciation for GCOM, JAXA SatNavi 2023 | https://www.satnavi.jaxa.jp/en/news/2023/03/31/7037/ | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-04 --- Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/amsr2 Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. 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