Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team members stand before at the Kawachi Shrine, the second shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, where the team prays for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Ebisu Shrine, the first shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, is seen just after members of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team prayed for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team members bow at the Ebisu Shrine, the first shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, where the team prays for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are seen as they depart the Houman Shrine, the third, and final, shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, where the team prays for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team members pray at the Houman Shrine, the third, and final, shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, where the team prays for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

An offering of sake can be seen at the Ebisu Shrine, the first shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, in which members of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team pray for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team members walk with their offering of sake to the Houman Shrine, the third, and final, shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, where the team prays for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Masahiro Kojima, GPM Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar project manager, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, bows at the Ebisu Shrine, the first shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, in which members of the JAXA team pray for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) team members wash their hands before praying at the Houman Shrine, the third, and final, shrine in a traditional San-ja Mairi, or Three Shrine Pilgrimage, where the team prays for a successful launch, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Tanegashima Island, Japan. A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying the NASA-JAXA, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is planned for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) on Feb. 28, 2014. Once launched, the GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)