Objectives and Applications
Meteorology and environmental monitoring; data collection and redistribution.
Full Name
FY-3A Polar-orbiting Meteorological Satellite
Mission Status
Mission complete
Mission Agencies
Launch Date
27 May 2008
Mission Links
EOL Date
01 Mar 2018
Orbit Type
Sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
101 minutes
Orbit Sense
Descending
Orbit Inclination
98.753 deg
Orbit Altitude
830 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
10:10
Repeat Cycle
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator
ERM-1 - Earth Radiation Measurement-1 |
| IRAS - InfraRed Atmospheric Sounder |
| MERSI-1 - Medium Resolution Spectral Imager-1 |
| MWHS-1 - Micro-Wave Humidity Sounder |
MWRI-1 - Micro-Wave Radiation Imager-1 |
| MWTS-1 - Micro-Wave Temperature Sounder |
| SBUS - Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Sounder |
| SEM (FY-2) - Space Environment Monitor |
| SIM - Solar Irradiation Monitor |
| SIM-1 - Solar Irradiance Monitor-1 |
| TOU - Total Ozone Unit |
VIRR - Multispectral Visible and Infra-red Scan Radiometer (10 channels)  |
| Category | Parameter | Instrument(s) |
| Atmosphere | Aerosols | MERSI-1 |
| Atmospheric Humidity Fields | IRAS, MERSI-1, MWHS-1 |
| Atmospheric Winds | MWRI-1 |
| Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature | MERSI-1, VIRR |
| Cloud particle properties and profile | MERSI-1, MWRI-1, VIRR |
| Liquid water and precipitation rate | MWRI-1 |
| Ozone | SBUS, TOU |
| Radiation budget | ERM-1, SIM |
| Atmospheric Temperature Fields | IRAS, MWRI-1, MWTS-1 |
| Gravity and Magnetic Fields | Gravity, Magnetic and Geodynamic measurements | SEM (FY-2) |
| Land | Albedo and reflectance | MERSI-1, VIRR |
| Vegetation | MERSI-1, VIRR |
| Surface temperature (land) | MWTS-1 |
| Ocean | Surface temperature (ocean) | MERSI-1, MWRI-1, VIRR |
| Snow & Ice | Snow cover, edge and depth | MWRI-1 |
| Sea ice cover, edge and thickness | MWRI-1, VIRR |