Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) was the first international space platform dedicated to Earth environmental research developed and managed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). The TOMS instrument along with NSCAT (a NASA Spectrometer designed to study wind speed and direction) were major US components of the platform. ADEOS launched on August 17, 1996 (at 01:53 UT) into a sun synchronous sub-recurrent orbit of an altitude of approximately 830 km by an H-II launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center. ADEOS failed in June 1997