Objectives and Applications
3-year nominal mission life, currently in extended operations. NASA has ceased station keeping maneuvers and TRMM has begun its drift downward from its operating altitude of 402 km. Atmospheric dynamics/water and energy cycles.
Full Name
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
Mission Status
Mission complete
Mission Agencies
Launch Date
27 Nov 1997
Mission Links
EOL Date
08 Apr 2015
Orbit Type
Inclined, non-sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
93.5 minutes
Orbit Sense
N/A
Orbit Inclination
35 deg
Orbit Altitude
405 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
N/A
Repeat Cycle
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator
CERES - Cloud and the Earth's Radiant Energy System |
LIS - Lightning Imaging Sensor |
| PR - Precipitation Radar |
| TMI - TRMM Microwave Imager |
| VIRS - Visible Infra-red Scanner |
| Category | Parameter | Instrument(s) |
| Atmosphere | Atmospheric Humidity Fields | TMI |
| Atmospheric Winds | PR |
| Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature | VIRS |
| Cloud particle properties and profile | PR, TMI |
| Liquid water and precipitation rate | PR, TMI |
| Radiation budget | CERES, VIRS |
| Lightning Detection | LIS |
| Land | Soil moisture | TMI |
| Ocean | Ocean surface winds | TMI |
| Surface temperature (ocean) | TMI |
| Multi-purpose imagery (ocean) | VIRS |