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Satellite sent into space on US rocket

An image shows the six microsatellites that make up Formosat-3, which was launched at 9:40am yesterday Taiwan time from California. The microsatellites will collect and analyze information from 2,500 monitoring points around the globe. PHOTO: THE NATIONAL SPACE ORGANIZATION

At 9:40am yesterday, the nation watched with much anticipation and excitement as FORMOSAT-3, a satellite jointly developed by Taiwan and the US, was launched from a US Air Force base in California.

The satellite was originally scheduled to lift off at 8:10am Taiwan time, but launch was delayed for 90 minutes because of a technical problem detected in the first stage of the rocket.

Lance Wu (吳作樂), director general of the National Space Organization (NSPO), said the data displayed on the pressure censor of the first stage of the Minotaur, the rocket that carried FORMOSAT-3 into space, was found to have exceeded normal range.

"We found that the range for normal figures was set too strictly," Wu said. "Eventually, we determined the figures presented to us were acceptable, and it [the satellite] was launched after it was completely recharged."

The satellite consists of six microsatellites, each weighing 62kg.

According Wu, the fourth stage of the rocket entered the targeted orbit within 10 minutes. The main satellite then separated from the rocket and traveled on the orbit for about 14 minutes before the first microsatellite was ejected. The remaining satellites were then ejected at the rate of one every minute.

Wu said the six microsatellites had passed above the North Pole around noon and that NSPO had received signals from all of them. He added the satellites are 500km above the earth and the goal is to increase that to 800km.

The FORMOSAT-3 project, also known as "Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC)" project, is a joint venture between NSPO and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) of the US.

Its main purpose is to gather information to help meteorologists observe global climate change. It also aims to boost the precision of weather forecasts, particularly regarding typhoons, by 15 percent.

The six microsatellites will be used to receive signals from 24 US Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, enabling meteorologists to collect and analyze information from 2,500 monitoring points within three hours. The information will be updated every 100 minutes.

The research team faced many challenges before the launch. Earlier media reports said the NSPO might have to postpone the launch because of discrepancies in calculations between Taiwan and the US as to when the residual propellants in the fourth stage of the rockets would be consumed.

On Friday, the US Air Force was concerned that bad weather in California might interfere with the launch.

Taiwan is a major investor in the joint venture, providing NT$80 million (US$2.42 million). The national flag, however, was not allowed to be printed on the surface of the satellite.

After negotiating with officials in the US State Department, the US agreed to having the Chinese characters of Taiwan and Formosa printed on the surface, along with a map of the island covered in pictures of fruit and fish produced in Taiwan.
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