Himawari-8/9 Spacecraft Overview

Sketch of Himawari-8
Sketch of Himawari-8/9

Each of Himawari-8/9 carries a new unit called the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI). The table below lists the major specifications of Himawari-8/9.

New frequency bands are introduced for communication between the satellites and ground stations. The Ka-band is used for downlinking meteorological data, and the Ku-band is used for telemetry and command operations. Each satellite carries a transponder to relay environmental data from data collection platforms (DCPs) to sustain the data collection system (DCS).


Table: Major specifications of Himawari-8/9
Geostationary position 140.7° E
Attitude control 3-axis attitude-controlled geostationary satellite
Imaging sensor Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI)
Communications 1) Raw observation data transmission
  • Ka-band, 18.1 - 18.4 GHz (downlink)
2) DCS
    International channel
  • 402.0 - 402.1 MHz (uplink)
    Domestic channel
  • 402.1 - 402.4 MHz (uplink)
    Transmission to ground segments
  • Ka-band, 18.1 - 18.4 GHz (downlink)
3) Telemetry and command
    Ku-band
  • 12.2 - 12.75 GHz (downlink)
  • 13.75 - 14.5 GHz (uplink)
Prime Contractor Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Launch vehicle H-IIA rocket