MTSAT Technical Information

Satellite | Satellite Products and Archive | About Satellite Images

Update: April 2008

• The HiRID and WEFAX services were discontinued on 12 March 2008

• MTSAT-1R, launched 26/2/2005, is operational at 140° East.

• MTSAT-2, launched 18/2/2006, is on station at 145° East. The MTSAT-2 meteorological payload will be placed in stand-by mode until the end of the 5 year MTSAT-1R mission, around 2010

• MTSAT information at JMA and the Meteorological Satellite Centre (MSC)

• Low Resolution Data Dissemination 
• • LRIT, Low Resolution Information Transmission
  • The LRIT Mission Specific document (Issue 6) is in the Reference Section

• High Resolution Data Dissemination 
• • HRIT, High Resolution Information Transmission
  • The HRIT Mission Specific document (Issue 1.2) is in the Reference section.

MTSAT is a dual mission satellite for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Japan Meteorological Agency performing an air traffic control and navigation function as well as a meteorological function.

MTSAT-1R is a three axis body stabilized spacecraft. It is a box-like structure, 2.4m x 2.6m x 2.6m. The overall deployed length is about 33m and a launch mass of the spacecraft is about 2900 kgs (Dry mass is 1250 kg). It has a 2.7 KW Ga As solar array with 3 panels, each 2.4m x 2.6m, mounted on the South pointing side. The array rotates to track the Sun and charges the Ni-Cd batteries. The use of a single solar array allows the Imager's north-facing passive radiation cooler to view cold space. There is a 3.3m solar sail on a 15.1m boom on the North side. The solar sail counteracts the torque produced by sunlight pressure on the solar array. The trim tab on the solar array makes small adjustments to the torque balance. Two aeronautical L-band antennas (spot and global) are mounted on the East and West sides. On the Earth facing side, there are mounted the Image Sensor, the S-band Receive and Transmit antennas and the UHF antenna for for the meteorological mission and the Ku and Ka spot antennas for the aeronautical mission. Also mounted on this side is the Earth Sensor which is used by the attitude control system that maintains the spacecraft's position in space using 12 small thrusters. Mounted on the West side L-band global antenna, is the TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking and Command) omni-directional antenna.

• MTSAT-1 and 1R were built by Space Systems/Loral
• MTSAT-2 was built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation with Boeing and Alcatel
• MTSAT and GMS launches
• Aeronautical mission payload and description
  
• Imager characteristics
• • Imager hardware
  • • sensor module with 311 mm telescope
    • a servo-driven, two axis gimbaled scan mirror assembly
    • dual detector array
    • thermal louver
    • 94 K to 104 K passive radiant cooler
    • power supply module
    • electronics module
    
    
  • Imager wavebands and response functions for MTSAT-1R and MTSAT-2
  • • Visible (VIS) : 0.55 - 0.80 µm, Silicon (Si) photovoltaic detector
    • Infrared (IR1) : 10.3 - 11.3 µm, Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) photoconductive detector
    • Infrared (IR2) : 11.5 - 12.5 µm, Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) photoconductive detector
    • Water Vapour (IR3) : 6.5 - 7.0 µm, Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) photoconductive detector
    • Near Infrared (IR4) : 3.5 - 4.0 µm, Indium Antimonide (InSb) photovoltaic detector
    
    
  • Imager resolution
  • • Visible : 28 µ radian IFOV, 1 km nadir
    • IR 1-4 : 112 µ radian IFOV, 4 km nadir
    
    
  • Imager quantization levels
  • • Visible : 10 bits
    • IR 1-4 : 10 bits
    
    
  • Imager data is sent directly to the CDAS, processed and re-transmitted to users in HRIT and LRIT formats
• MTSAT Transmission Parameters
• 
  
  • HRIT
  • • Frequency : 1687.1 MHz
    • Modulation : 3.5 Msps PCM/NRZ-M/QPSK 50% RRC
    • Coding : Convolution (R=1/2, k=7) + Reed Solomon (255,223,4)
    • Bandwidth : 5.2 MHz
    • EIRP : 55 ± 1.5 dBm
    
    
  • LRIT
  • • Frequency : 1691.0 MHz
    • Modulation : 150 ksps PCM/NRZ-M/BPSK, 50 % RRC
    • Coding : Convolution (R=1/2, k=7) and Reed Solomon (225,223,4)
    • Bandwidth : 250 kHz
    • EIRP : 55 ± 1.5 dBm
    
    
  • HiRID - Discontinued 12 March 2008
  • • Frequency : 1687.1 MHz
    • Modulation : 660 kbps PCM/NRZ-M/BPSK
    • Bandwidth : 6 MHz
    • EIRP : 55 ± 1.5 dBm
    
    
  • WEFAX - Discontinued 12 March 2008
  • • Frequency : 1691.0 MHz
    • Modulation : AM/FM
    • Sub-carrier frequency : 2400 Hz
    • Maximum base band video frequency : 1600 Hz
    • Deviation : ± 126 kHz
    • Bandwidth : 260 kHz
    • EIRP : 55 ± 1.5 dBm
    
    
• Reference
• • MTSAT HiRID Technical Information (Issue 3) document
  • JMA HRIT Mission Specific Implementation (Issue 1.2) document
  • JMA LRIT Mission Specific Implementation (Issue 6) document
  • [AD.1] CGMS LRIT/HRIT Global Specification (Issue 2.6) document
  • [RD.8] CCSDS LRIT MSI reference document
  • NOAA GOES LRIT
  • EUMETSAT MSG LRIT/HRIT MSI document
  • EUMETSAT publications 
  • CGMS LRPT/AHRPT Global Specification (Issue 1.0) document
  • ESA/EUMETSAT METOP AHRPT/LRPT Broadcast Services Specification (Issue 8)
  • GOES I-M Databook
  • GOES N Databook
  • KARI COMS information
  • FY-2C/D/E S-VISSR Data Format, Version 2.0, September 2004
  • FY-3 Data Transmission
  • WMO documents
  • CGMS documents