Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is building MTSat (Multifunctional Transport Satellite), an
advanced geostationary satellite for air traffic control and weather observation, under a
contract with the Japanese Ministry of Transport Civil Aviation Bureau &
Meteorological Agency. This multi-functional satellite will provide communications and
navigational services for aircraft, and provide weather data to users throughout the
entire Asia-Pacific region, as far south as Australia / New Zealand.
The spacecraft was delivered to Japan in March, 1999, for launch the next year on a
Japanese H-II rocket. SS/L will conduct orbit raising and orbital tests before turning the
satellite over to the ministry. All integration and ground testing of the satellite was
conducted at SS/L's facilities in Palo Alto, California. It was launched on an H-2S rocket, but due to a rocket failure never reached
orbit. MTSat 1 was to be renamed Mirai after reaching orbit, but this name was not used
due to the launch failure.
A repacement MTSat 1R is built also by SS/L.
The Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau will use MTSat to reduce en route aircraft
separation, provide flexible flight profile planning, enhance air travel safety, and
improve the quality of aeronautical communications. To that end, it will be positioned at
an orbital slot of approximately 140 degrees east, and provide high quality digital voice
and data communications in the L, Ku, and Ka bands.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency will use MTSat to provide observed cloud imagery and
continuous weather products such as cloud and vapor distributions, cloud motion wind
vector, sea surface temperature, and information on typhoon, low pressure, and front
activity. MTSat also will receive raw data from data collection platforms on land and sea,
deliver it to a processing station, and then broadcast the processed data and imagery
across the region. It is the successor to the GMS 1-5 satellite
series.
MTSat is based on SS/L's standard SSL-1300
three-axis, body stabilized spacecraft. It will use many of the state-of-the-art
technologies developed for the current five satellite U.S. Geostationary Environmental
Satellite program, called GOES I - M, for which SS/L is the prime
contractor. MTSat will provide 10 years of service in its aeronautical mission and five
years in its meteorological mission.
MTSAAT 1R was retired in 2015 and was moved into a graveyard orbit above the geostationary belt.
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