JERS-1

Japanese Earth Resources Satellite 1 (JERS-1) was a satellite launched in 1992 by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA, now part of JAXA). It carried three instruments:

• An L-band (HH polarization) synthetic aperture radar (SAR);
• A nadir-pointing optical camera (OPS);
• A side-looking optical camera (AVNIR).

The satellite had a designated lifespan of only two years, however the mission was extended and it operated until 1998. Jers-1 re-entered the Earth's atmosphere in 2001. The satellite was used to map the largest of Earth's forests and observe coastal regions.

References

• ESA third party missions overview