A NT$3.3 billion (US$ 100 million) FORMOSAT-3 satellites project might end up with no international exposure because the US Air Force, in charge of building the launch vehicle, expressed its objection to the appearance of Taiwan's national flag or any image representing Taiwan on the rocket, according to the National Science Council (NSC) yesterday.
NSC Deputy Minister Shieh Ching-jyh (
"Taiwan's national flag and other images that stand for Taiwan cannot be painted on the rocket. I was very shocked to hear that and found the situation to be very serious," Shieh said.
Taiwan has never faced similar challenges when it launched its first two satellites, ROCSAT-1 and ROCSAT-2 in 1999 and 2004, respectively, since launch vehicles are operated commercially.
For FORMOSAT-3, the launch vehicle will be operated by the US Air Force.
Also called COSMIC, for Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate, the FORMOSAT-3 Program is authorized by the government of both parties.
In Taiwan the project is executed by NSPO, whereas in the US it is carried out by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
Shieh said it remains uncertain whether President Chen Shui-bian's (
Consisting of six satellites, FORMOSAT-3 is scheduled to be launched at the end of next month. Shieh said it would be unfair if the Taiwanese people find nothing that stands for Taiwan on the rocket,considering that Taiwan is sharing part of the cost of building the launch vehicle.
"We have to ask for help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which might have accesses to higher levels of the US government," Shieh said.
Meanwhile, NSPO director Lance Wu (吳作樂) said that ongoing satellite projects would be processed without being affected by the challenge.
According to Wu, the Argo satellite project might be a better way of realizing Taiwan's dream of designing and building a satellite completely by itself.
Wu said yesterday that Argo, when it is completed in 2009, might join the commercially operational RapidEye constellation, which is jointly sponsored by the German, British and Canadian governments.
Weng Shui-lin (
NSPO officials said that under the international collaborative project, Taiwan's improvement of its space technologies cannot be easily blocked by China.
In 1999, Taiwan's contract with Germany's Dornier Satellite System on the ROCSAT-2 project was shifted to Matra-Marconi Space of France due to the German government's refusal to issue the appropriate export license to Dornier.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it is willing to help out, but will wait until it has obtained more information from the council before it takes action.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard