Ball Aerospace Engineers Working on the Global Precipitation Measurement Satellite. Photo: Ball

[Via Satellite 11-26-13] A Ball Aerospace instrument needed for precipitation measurements has arrived in Japan where it will launch aboard NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Ball’s GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) is a multi-channel, conical-scanning, microwave radiometer that is part of an international satellite mission led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Following launch in early 2014 aboard the GPM Core Observatory, the radiometer is part of an international satellite constellation that will capture observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours and 3-D views of hurricanes and snowstorms. GPM data will also contribute to the monitoring and forecasting of weather events such as droughts, floods and hurricanes.