The launch of the Formosat-7 satellite cluster, a collaborative program between Taiwan and the US, might be postponed to the end of this year, as the US rocket still needs to be tested, a National Space Organization (NSPO) official said yesterday.
Formosat-7 is designed to replace Formosat-3, which has been operating for 12 years and taken more than 10 million soundings — vertical profiles of the atmosphere — since its launch on April 15, 2006.
Formosat-7’s cluster of six satellites would be launched to orbit at an altitude of 550km and a low-inclination angle of 24°, the NSPO said.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
It is expected to orbit the Earth every 97 minutes and collect nearly 4,000 soundings of GPS occultation data every day, it said.
Once it becomes commercially operational, Formosat-7 would collect a greater amount of atmospheric and ionospheric weather data — about three to four times more than its predecessor, while improving the precision of the nation’s weather forecasts by at least 10 percent, the NSPO said.
The cluster was slated to be launched this month or next month using the Falcon Heavy rocket, which was developed by US company SpaceX, but the launch time would possibly be postponed to the end of this year, NSPO Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jen (余憲政) said.
As the Falcon Heavy is SpaceX’s newest rocket, it requires more time for tests, Yu said.
In April and May, the US sent experts to replace some of Formosat-7’s components after the NSPO detected signal interference among its scientific payloads, he said, adding the satellite cluster is now ready for launch.
Formosat-7 originally comprised two sets of satellites, with the second set containing seven, but the second set’s launch was canceled in October last year due to problems with the US budget, Yu said, adding that the cancelation was a joint decision.
The second set’s seventh satellite, which was made by Taiwan, would still be launched, and the NSPO would seek other rocket suppliers to help with the plan, he said.
It would budget NT$540 million (US$17.67 million) for the seventh satellite’s separate launch, which is scheduled for 2020, Yu added.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS