| JAXA is pleased to report that its GPM/Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) project team has successfully completed Development Readiness Review #1 (DRR #1). As one of the prime instruments on the GPM Core Spacecraft, the DPR will have the capability to make detailed, three-dimensional measurements of rainfall and rain rates. The DPR instrument consists of two elements—a Ku-band Precipitation Radar (KuPR) and a Ka-band Precipitation Radar (KaPR)—and is being developed as a collaborative project between JAXA and Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). DRR#1 was successfully completed at JAXA on December 12, 2005. The purpose of the review was to evaluate and confirm the readiness to start the basic design and engineering model development of the DPR. In order to move on to the design and development phase (phase C/D), two more reviews are planned this year. One is a review by Japan’s Space Activities Commission (SAC), and the other is the DRR #2 at JAXA. During DRR #2, JAXA will evaluate the readiness of the whole DPR project to begin phase C/D, and will review mission definition and success criteria, the ground system, data analysis, and application. Meanwhile, NICT has completed fabrication of the KaPR Engineering Model (EM) shown in Figure 1, and will start testing of the EM soon.
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