GCOM is the acronym for Global Change Observation Mission. This project utilizes a satellite for the purpose of conducting global observations from space over a long period of time of environment changes on Earth. During this mission, observations related to water circulation mechanisms were conducted using Shizuku (GCOM-M), which is a satellite for observing changes in water circulation.
On May 18, 2012, JAXA’s SDS-4 (Small Demonstration Satellite 4) and another small satellite were piggy backed on to Shizuku, which was launched using the H-IIA rocket-21.