Sensor · Spaceborne

PALSAR-3

Compiled from public sources on 2026-05-25. Not independently verified by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

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Missions → ALOS-4 (Operational)

Active phased-array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar, sole imaging payload of the ALOS-4 satellite (launched 1 July 2024). Operated by JAXA, built on the JAXA Advanced Satellite Bus-3 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. Operates at L-band (selectable centre frequencies 1236.5 / 1257.5 / 1278.5 MHz), enabling deep canopy penetration for tropical forest disturbance detection. Principal advance over PALSAR-2 is the wider ScanSAR swath at finer resolution: 700 km swath at 25 m resolution versus PALSAR-2 350 km swath at 100 m. Stripmap modes 3 to 10 m resolution; Spotlight 3 by 1 m over 35 km scene. Dual polarisation (HH+HV) confirmed.

Sensor

PALSAR-3 is the active phased-array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging payload on ALOS-4, operated by JAXA.^[1] ALOS-4 launched on 1 July 2024 and carries PALSAR-3 for wide-area L-band radar observation.^[1] PALSAR-3 supports ScanSAR Wide, Stripmap Fine, Stripmap High-Sensitive, Stripmap Ultrafine, and Spotlight modes, with ScanSAR Wide listed at 700 km swath and 25 m resolution.^[1]^[2]

Methodology	Evidence	Mission	Citation
SAR backscatter change detection	Demonstrated	ALOS-4	^[3]
InSAR surface deformation	Capable	ALOS-4	^[3]
Polarimetric SAR decomposition	Capable	ALOS-4	^[3]

Operator pricing

Pricing not publicly listed by operator

Supply chain position

carried by ALOS-4

Sources

[1]ALOS-4 outline and PALSAR-3 overview, JAXA EORCagency doc2026-05-25
[2]ALOS-4 Initial Calibration/Validation Result, JAXA EORCagency doc2026-05-25
[3]PALSAR-3 specifications, PASCO ALOS-4 data distributionoperator datasheet2026-05-25

Cite https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/palsar-3 Markdown twin → Field definitions → Suggest a correction →

How to cite this page

Plain text

PALSAR-3. EO-Atlas, SpectraWorks B.V., last reviewed 2026-05-25. https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/palsar-3 (CC BY 4.0)

BibTeX

@misc{eoatlas:products:sensor:palsar-3,
  title = {PALSAR-3},
  author = {{EO-Atlas}},
  publisher = {SpectraWorks B.V.},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last reviewed 2026-05-25. CC BY 4.0},
  url = {https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/palsar-3}
}