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In July 2009, NASA and JAXA signed implementation phase Memorandum of Understanding to be the central body for
creating the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) partnership. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)
started as an international project and a follow-on mission of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) project
to achieve more accurate and frequent precipitation observations than it. A Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on
board the GPM core satellite is being developed steadily by JAXA and NICT, and consists of Ku-band (13.6GHz) and
Ka-band (35.5GHz) precipitation radars to measure light rainfall and snowfall as well as moderate-to-heavy rainfall. The
GPM core observatory scheduled to be launched by Japanese H-IIA rocket in summer of 2013.
In January 2010, JAXA has selected the principal investigators by the 6th Precipitation Measuring Mission (PMM)
Research Announcement, especially focusing on the GPM algorithm development and pre-launch validation. The GPM
standard algorithm will be developed by U.S.-Japan Joint GPM Algorithm Team, and Japanese members will play
central role in developing DPR and DPR/GMI combined algorithms. Pre-launch validation aims to contribute to the
development and improvement of algorithms, through validating parameter errors, which are involved in satellite-based
precipitation retrieval algorithms, such as attenuation by precipitation particles, raindrop size distribution, and drop
velocity and density of snowfall. JAXA will put two new field-portable Ka-band Ground Validation radars in 2009-2010
to achieve this target.
The new science team will be organized in April 2010, and team members expected to make effective interactions
between algorithm development and pre-launch validation activities.
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