The three primary objectives of the mission, as identified by NASDA, were to:[6]
1.Regularly monitor the water and energy cycle as a part of the global climate system
2.Quantitatively estimate the biomass and fundamental productivity as a part of the carbon cycle
3.Detect trends in long term climate change as a result of continuing the observations started by ADEOS
The project had a proposed minimum life of three years,[7] with a five-year goal.[8]
Launch[edit]
The mission was originally scheduled to launch aboard a H-II rocket in February 2002. This was postponed as the Japanese Space Activities Commission would not launch without having three successful missions aboard the new H-IIA rocket.[9]
The satellite was successfully launched from Tanegashima Space Center pad YLP-1 on 14 December 2002, aboard H-2A-202.[10] Other payloads onboard included the Japanese MicroLabsat and WEOS devices, as well as the Australian FedSat.[4