Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

Artist conception of the TRMM satellite
Mission type	Environmental research
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1997-074A
SATCAT no.	25063
Mission duration	18 years
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	3524 kg
Dry mass	2634 kg [1]
Power	1100 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	27 November 1997, 21:27 UTC
Rocket	H-II
Launch site	Tanegashima, LA-Y1
Contractor	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Deactivated	15 April 2015
Decay date	16 June 2015, 06:54 UTC [2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit[2]
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	366 km (227 mi)
Apogee altitude	381 km (237 mi)
Inclination	35.0°
Period	92.0 minutes
Programme NASA Earth Probe Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) →

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.