The main objectives of the Marine Observation Satellite (MOS) constellation consisting of MOS-1 and MOS-1B were:

• Sea surface temperature measurements
• Observations of sea ice
• Detection and monitoring of phytoplankton blooms
• Monitoring of suspended sediments in the water

MOS-1 data have also been demonstrated to be important for land studies, being comparable to the Landsat MSS and NOAA AVHRR instruments.