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 Global Precipitation Measurement is a joint mission between JAXA and NASA as well as other international agencies to frequently (every 3 hours) measure the Earth's atmospheric moisture. It is part of NASA's Earth Systematic Missions program and is planned to cover nearly the complete Earth. The project office is overseen by NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center and will provide global rain maps to assist researchers in studying global climate data.

The mission consists of a multiple spacecraft. The core spacecraft, used to measure precipitation structure and to provide a calibration standard for the constellation spacecraft, is scheduled for launch on July 21, 2013 and the low-inclination spacecraft for launch in  November 2014 which will provide frequent precipitation measurements on a global basis.

GPM Core Observatory
The foundation of the GPM mission is the Core Observatory satellite provided by NASA and JAXA. Data collected from the Core satellite serves as a reference standard that will unify precipitation measurements from research and operational satellites launched by a consortium of GPM partners in the United States, Japan, France, India, and Europe. The GPM constellation of satellites can observe precipitation over the entire globe every 2-3 hours. The Core satellite will measure rain and snow using two science instruments: the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR). The GMI captures precipitation intensities and horizontal patterns, while the DPR provides insights into the three dimensional structure of precipitating particles. Together these two instruments provide a database of measurements against which other partner satellites’ microwave observations can be meaningfully compared and combined to make a global precipitation dataset.

The Core Observatory satellite will fly at an altitude of 253 miles (407 kilometers) in a non-Sun-synchronous orbit that covers the Earth from 65°S to 65°N — from about the Antarctic Circle to the Arctic Circle. The GPM Core Observatory is being developed and tested at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Once complete, a Japanese H-IIA rocket will carry the GPM Core Observatory into orbit from Tanegashima Island, Japan in 2014.

GPM Microwave Imager (GMI)
The GMI uses 13 different microwave channels to observe energy from the different types of precipitation through clouds for estimating everything from heavy to light rain and for detecting falling snow. As the satellite passes over Earth, the GMI constantly scans a region 550 miles (885 kilometers) across. The Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation built the GMI under contract with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)
The DPR provides three-dimensional information about precipitation particles derived from reflected energy by these particles at different heights within the cloud system. The two frequencies of the DPR also allow the radar to infer the sizes of precipitation particles and offer insights into a storm’s physical characteristics. The Ka-band frequency scans across a region of 78 miles (125 kilometers) and is nested within the wider scan of the Ku-band frequency of 158 miles (254 kilometers). The Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) built the DPR.

In Popular Culture
Swades: We, the People (Hindi: स्वदेश, Urdu: سودیش, pronounced [swəˈdeːʃ], English: Homeland) is a 2004 Indian film written, produced and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker which starts from NASA's GPM project analysis. The film stars Shahrukh Khan and debutante Gayatri Joshi. Sharukh Khan plays the role of Project Manager, GPM, NASA in this film. He explains the importance of GPM and its positive impact on Earth and thereby defends its budget. The movie, though was a commercial failure, but was highly critically acclaimed.