Earth & Moon | Japan's Himawari-9 Weather Satellite

Earth & Moon | Japan's Himawari-9 Weather Satellite

Himawari-9 is a Japanese weather satellite, the ninth of the Himawari geostationary weather satellites operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The spacecraft was constructed by Mitsubishi Electric. Himawari 9 was launched on November 2, 2016, atop a H-IIA rocket flying from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex Pad 1 at the Tanegashima Space Center, and by November 11, 2016, it reached its assigned position (140.7°E) in geostationary orbit.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, the agency collects data on meteorology, hydrology, seismology, volcanology, and other related fields.

Website: https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html

The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) serves as a nexus for multi-disciplinary cooperation between NOAA research scientists and Colorado State University research staff, faculty, and students, aligning NOAA-identified research theme areas with long-standing academic strengths of the University.

Website: https://www.cira.colostate.edu

Image Credit: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

Acknowledgement: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)

Date: October 23, 2026

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