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ALOS-4 - Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4

Jump to: Mission Objectives, Mission Instrumentation, Mission Parameters, Additional Information

Mission Photos:

ALOS-4 satellite
ALOS-4 satellite
Courtesy of JAXA

Mission Objectives:

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4) is a successor of the SAR mission of ALOS and ALOS-2. The ALOS-4 mission objectives as follows; 1) Precise monitoring of land deformation and subsidence using InSAR, 2) Continuation and enhancement of ALOS-2 mission, 3) Exploring new applications such as large infrastructure monitoring using InSAR time series analysis and 4) Marine monitoring by SAR and AIS for ships. ALOS-4 mainly aims to contribute to observing and monitoring disaster-hit areas, forests, sea-ice, oceans, and monitoring infrastructure displacement using the onboard phased array type L-band synthetic aperture radar (PALSAR-3) and the Automatic Identification System for ships (AIS) receiver. Satellite Laser Ranging is used as independent validation and quantification of GPS-based precise orbit determination (POD).

Mission Instrumentation:

Specifications:

Launch Date July 1, 2024, 12:06:42 (JST) by the third H3 Launch Vehicle
Orbit Same orbit as ALOS-2
  • Sun-synchronous sub-recurrent orbit
  • Altitude: 628 km
  • Inclination angle: 97.9 degrees
  • Local sun time at descending: 12:00 ± 15min
  • Revisit time: 14 day (15-3/14 rev/day)
Life time 7 years
Size X 10.0m x Y 20.0m x Z 6.4m
Mission Parameters:
ALOS-4 Parameters
Sponsor: JAXA (Japan)
Expected Life: 7 years
Primary Application: Land observation.
COSPAR ID: 2412301
SIC Code: 1560
Satellite Catalog (NORAD) Number: 60182
Launch Date: July 1, 2024
RRA Diameter: 16 cm
RRA Shape: Hemispherical
Reflectors: 9 corner cubes
Orbit: circular
Inclination: 97.9 degrees
Eccentricity:  
Perigee: 628 km
Period: 97.3 min
Weight:  

Additional Information:

Web sites:

Mission launch video link:

Press releases:

Publications:

  • Miura, S. H., Etoh, Y., Kankaku, Y., Motohka, T., Yamamoto, K., Arikawa, Y. (2023). “The current status of ALOS-4,” Proc. SPIE 12729, Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XXVII, pp. 94-102, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2678288.
  • Kankaku, Y., Arikawa, Y., Miura, S., Motohka, T., Kojima, Y. (2023). “ALOS-4 system design and PFM current status,” IGARSS 2023-2023 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, pp. 1998-2001, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS52108.2023.10283383.