Himawari (satellites)


The Himawari geostationary satellites, operated by the Japan [Meteorological Agency], support weather forecasting, tropical cyclone tracking, and meteorology research. Most meteorological agencies in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand use the satellites for their own weather monitoring and forecasting operations.
Originally also named Geostationary Meteorological Satellites, since the launch of GMS-1 in 1977, there have been three generations, including GMS, MTSAT, and Himawari 8/9; Himawari 8/9 satellites are currently available for operational use.

History

In March 2023, Mitsubishi Electric announced that they had won the contract to build Himawari 10. Himawari 10 was originally scheduled to be launched in the fiscal year of 2028, but has been delayed to the fiscal year of 2030 due to development of a satellite component being slower than expected.