ROCSAT-2, which is to be the nation's second satellite, is scheduled to be launched on May 21 -- and preparations for the launch are complete, the National Science Council said yesterday.
Council Deputy Minister Shieh Ching-jyh (謝清志), who spoke with the Taipei Times yesterday from California, said the liftoff would be on the morning on May 20 -- California time -- at which point it will be 1:47am on May 21 in Taiwan.
Shieh said a team of experts from the National Space Program Office (NSPO) feels that preparations at the launch site, Vandenberg Air Force Base, are perfect.
"So far, so good. But the most crucial part of ensuring normal operation of the satellite will be the launch itself," Shieh said.
The 750kg satellite will be propelled into space by a Taurus rocket, a four-stage, ground-launched vehicle, at a launch site operated by Orbital Sciences.
After the launch, the NSPO team will spend three days observing the satellite in its temporary orbit 723km above the Earth, and another 11 days gradually boosting it into its mission orbit, which is to be 891km above the earth's surface. ROCSAT-2 is designed to orbit the earth 14 times a day and make two passes a day over Taiwan.
According to Shieh, after the launch, the NSPO team will remain on high alert because the satellite's functions heavily depend on progress in the first three months.
"Users can receive useful information from the satellite only if its operation during early orbits is perfect," Shieh said.
Shieh said that the launch date of May 20 had nothing to do with the presidential inauguration scheduled for that day. He said that the date was arrived at based on scientific considerations.
Despite a series of delays since the satellite was shipped to California last December, the launch should be a success, officials said.
Cheng Kuo-ping (
A three-day final rehearsal will begin on May 18, when the satellite and its launcher are moved to the launching pad, Cheng said. During the last six hours before the launch, weather conditions will be examined two or three times to ensure a smooth launch.
"But a final decision on whether to proceed with or abort the launch will be made based on all available information just five minutes before the launch," Cheng said.
According to the NSPO, ROCSAT-2's progress will be tracked beginning 18 minutes after the launch from McMurdo Station, a commercial satellite communication service at the South Pole. Sixty-three minutes after the launch, the satellite will be picked up by the Swedish Space Corporation's ground station in Kiruna in Northern Sweden.
After its fourth circle around the globe, a station in Chungli, Taiwan, will start receiving information from it. All information will be transferred back to the NSPO headquarters in Hsinchu.
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