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