FORMOSAT-2, the second of the nation’s three meteorological satellites, has generated more than NT$200 million (US$6.5 million) in economic benefits since being launched on May 21, 2004, a senior official at the space program administration said yesterday.
During a press conference to introduce a new photo album with images of Taiwan taken by FORMOSAT-2, Wu An-ming (吳岸明), the deputy director general of the Hsinchu-based National Space Organization (NSPO), outlined the sources of the satellite’s revenues.
NT$100 MILLION
PHOTO: CHEN YING-CHIEH, TAIPEI TIMES
He said NT$100 million had been earned from international collaboration projects, NT$100 million had come from education-oriented programs and tens of millions of NT dollars had been generated by military-diplomatic cooperation.
Asked why the satellite was such a commercial success, Wu explained that most commercial satellites can only zero in on the same area on Earth every two or three days because of their orbits, while FORMOSAT-2 is able to photograph the same location twice a day.
“This feature enables FORMOSAT-2 to provide observation not only on a weekly or monthly basis, but also on a daily basis,” Wu said.
THREE SYSTEMS
Taiwan operates three satellite systems — FORMOSAT-1, 2 and 3. FORMOSAT-1 is a low-earth-orbit scientific experimental satellite, FORMOSAT-2 is capable of conducting remote sensing imaging.
FORMOSAT-3 — a constellation of six micro-satellites — provides real-time monitoring of global climate changes.
SPACE PROGRAMS
All research and cooperation projects are managed by the NSPO, which was established by the government in 1991 to carry out the nation’s space and astronomical programs.
According to NSPO, the FORMOSAT-2 satellite is expected to outlive its original mission life, serving for at least seven to eight years instead of the initially projected five years.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS