The Ministry of Science and Technology yesterday announced plans to focus on the development of 10 small, high-resolution satellites for the third phase of the National Space Program.
The third phase, which is expected to cost NT$25.1 billion (US$814 million), was last month approved by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
It was the first official document he signed after taking office.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
It is to be executed by the National Applied Research Laboratories and the National Space Organization (NSPO) over a 10-year period starting this year, the ministry said.
The initiative would focus on the development of six prototype high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites, two ultra-high resolution smart optics remote sensing satellites and two synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, it said.
It would also focus on the development of remote sensing technology and the use of smaller satellites to achieve higher resolution images, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said.
Citing an example, Chen said an ultra-high resolution smart optics remote sensing satellite weighing about 200kg would give users a 35cm view of the ground from an altitude of 510km, which would be the equivalent of spotting a cat or a dog in Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁) area from the Taipei 101 building.
The ministry plans to launch one satellite a year, he said, adding that the first is expected to be launched in 18 months.
The achievements of the first and second phases would serve as the foundation for the third phase, Chen said.
He hopes that the National Space Program would encourage innovation in the field of science, he added.
The prototype high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite constellation, which is to include three sets of two satellites, would raise the frequency of Formosat-5’s revisit rate from once every two days to twice or three times a day, NSPO director-general Lin Chun-liang (林俊良) said.
This would allow the ministry to gather more images, which has positive implications for the implementation of government policies, rescue missions, disaster prevention and scientific research, he said.
Ultra-high resolution smart optics remote sensing satellites focus on sub-meter resolution images, Lin said.
SAR satellites, which are equipped with active radar, are unaffected by cloud cover, fog or rainfall, which means they can function no matter the weather conditions or time of day, he said.
Other plans for the third phase include space exploration and the development of a satellite capable of orbiting the moon, Lin added.
As Taiwan lacks experience in these areas, it hopes to achieve its goal of space exploration by partnering with domestic and foreign academia, he said.
Having a satellite orbiting the moon would be the first step, he said.
Researchers would also explore ways to land a satellite on the moon, Lin added.
Without the assistance of GPS on the moon, the satellite would need to guide its own landing, he said.
Asked about the launch date of Formosat-7, Lin said that as Taiwan is partnering with the US for the launch, it would need to wait for the US to notify them.
Formosat-7’s six satellites are on standby at the NSPO, and can be packaged and delivered to the US as soon as it receives notice from the US, he said.
The ministry plans to launch Formosat-7 this year and a weather satellite called the “wind hunter” next year, Chen said.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai