Launched from Tanegashima Island by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in January 2006, Daichi (officially known as the Advanced Land Observation Satellite) is the world’s largest satellite of its kind. From an altitude from 700 kilometers, it monitors the Earth’s surface 24 hours a day, primarily to provide information about earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, as well as to map terrain and aid in the exploration of oil and gas reserves. It is equipped with three types of sensors, including a high-resolution stereoscopic camera capable of photographing the earth’s surface to an accuracy of 2.5 meters square.