Status and Plans of Next Generation Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellites Himawari-8/9

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) plans to launch Himawari-8 satellite in 2014 and commence its operation in 2015. It is the next generation Japanese geostationary meteorological satellites following to the currently operational satellite MTSAT-2 (Himawari-7). The agency also plans to launch Himawari-9 in 2016. Himawari-8 and -9 carry Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) units comparable to the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board GOES-R of the National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration / the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS) in the United States. The observing functions of AHI will be significantly enhanced from those of MTSAT-2: multispectral capacity (16 bands), high spatial resolution (0.5 – 1.0 km for visible and 1 – 2 km for infrared), fast imaging (within 10 minutes for full disk), and rapid scanning with flexible area selection and scheduling. To make the most of these functions, JMA has set up an environment for the development of new products such as cloud, atmospheric motion vector (AMV), volcanic ash and aerosol. Assimilation of the satellite products are also the important target for operational development at JMA and research community. For example, AMVs and other cloud-related variables will be assimilated in a state-of-art data assimilation system to predict rapidly developing cloud and precipitation. In this presentation, the development status of Himawari-8 and -9 products and their usage plan will be introduced. The concept of data receiving and processing system, and data dissemination via internet and commercial telecommunication satellite for Himawari-8 and -9 will also be shown.