Taiwan's second satellite, ROCSAT-2, which left the National Space Program Office (NSPO) in Hsinchu yesterday, is expected to be launch-ed on schedule in six weeks from California.
A trailer with cushion facilities took the 750kg satellite, packaged in a 2,100kg container displaying Taiwan's flag, to CKS International Airport in Taoyuan.
PHOTO: TONY YAO, TAIPEI TIMES
NSPO spokesmen said yesterday that a China Airlines Boeing 747 would carry the satellite and related equipment, weighing 14,295kg, directly to Los Angeles today. After the flight of just more than 10 hours, it will take another six hours to move the satellite by truck to Vandenberg Air Force Base.
"All the way to the base, vibration has to be limited to a certain level," Chern Jeng-shing (
A team of NSPO scientists and engineers arrived at the base yesterday to prepare for the launch on Jan. 17.
Since last Thursday, when the satellite was wrapped, nitrogen has been injected into the container to ensure stable conditions for the long journey.
According to Bobby Yu (余萃眾), general manager of China Airlines' cargo sales and services department, the airline's midway station in Anchorage, Alaska, would be bypassed to minimize the risks.
Richard Shen (沈成), general manager of Global Fritz Logistics Services, said special customs arrangements were made to facilitate the transportation.
When it arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the satellite will be thoroughly tested for three days. The satellite will be coupled with a Taurus rocket, a four-stage, ground-launched vehicle, at a launch site operated by Orbital Sciences Corp, and should be ready at least 13 days prior to the launch.
Taiwan chose to launch the ROCSAT-2 from the US instead of India, which offered a half-price deal.
The launch services in the US cost about NT$ 1.3 billion, according to the NSPO.
Lee Lou-chuang (
"ROCSAT-2 satellite will be the first to observe rare phenomena like lighting-induced red sprites, upwardly discharging blue jets and gigantic jets," Lee said.
Being different from its predecessor, ROCSAT-1, which was launched in January 1999 and had a strictly scientific purpose, ROCSAT-2 will also have more down-to-earth applications involving remote-sensing technologies.
NSPO officials stressed yesterday that the ROCSAT-2 project, costing NT$4.7 billion in total, would further enhance Taiwan's abilities to predict natural disas-ters and map state-owned land. It will be able to take clear pictures of objects on the ground as small as 2m across.
The satellite is designed to orbit the earth 14 times a day, including two passes over Taiwan, 891km above the earth's surface.
Representatives of the Astrium Company of France, the NSPO's main contractor on the ROCSAT-2 project, said yesterday that everything had gone according to plan since the cooperation began in November 1999.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
RSS