Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
Artist conception of the TRMM satellite
Mission typeEnvironmental research
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1997-074A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.25063
Mission duration18 years
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass3524 kg
Dry mass2634 kg [1]
Power1100 watts
Start of mission
Launch date27 November 1997, 21:27 UTC
RocketH-II
Launch siteTanegashima, LA-Y1
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Deactivated15 April 2015
Decay date6 June 2015, 06:54 UTC [2]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude366 km (227 mi)
Apogee altitude381 km (237 mi)
Inclination35.0°
Period92.0 minutes
Programme NASA Earth Probe

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) was a joint space mission between NASA and JAXA designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall. The term refers to both the mission itself and the satellite that the mission used to collect data. TRMM was part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, a long-term, coordinated research effort to study the Earth as a global system. The satellite was launched on 27 November 1997 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, Japan. TRMM operated for 17 years, including several mission extensions, before being decommissioned on 15 April 2015. TRMM re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 16 June 2015.

  1. ^ "Satellite Overview" JAXA Retrieved on 5 July 2015
  2. ^ a b "Trajectory: TRMM 1997-074A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.