Two second-generation satellites developed by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) were launched on Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the company said yesterday.
The low earth orbit satellites PEARL-1A and PEARL-2B, which have entered their intended orbits, are primarily designed for payload technology verification in communication and aerospace science, with an expected on-orbit mission duration of one to three years, Hon Hai said in a news release.
The second-generation satellites are equipped with Ka-band inter-satellite link (ISL) payloads that enable broadband communication with ground stations, as well as peer-to-peer link verification between the two satellites, the company said.
Photo courtesy of National Central University
They also carry a compact ionospheric probe (CIP) to monitor the space communication environment, said the company, known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團).
Hon Hai said the advances allow it to utilize beam planning and constellation design tools more effectively, which in turn strengthens its future application capabilities in low earth orbit systems.
Meanwhile, National Central University (NCU), which co-developed the satellites, said on Sunday that it was the first Taiwanese double-satellite Ka-band ISL verification.
It was the first time a CIP, made by NCU, was deployed on two satellites on the same orbit, which can assist in clarifying the causes and extent of space communication interference, the university said in a statement.
According to Hon Hai, the PEARL project demonstrates its positioning in the space industry, with its project team accumulating extensive experience from orbital operations of the first generation mission through receiving stations in Taiwan and Europe.
The company said its research and development (R&D) arm, Hon Hai Institute, was responsible for developing the satellites, from pre-launch system integration to post-launch on-orbit operations and data verification.
The PEARL satellite design integrates Hon Hai’s proprietary camera payloads with mature internal and external components, with the R&D team performing system optimizations, based on feedback from the first generation satellites’ operations, it said.
The PEARL mission series serves to establish “on-orbit practical experience” for continued optimization of next-generation satellites’ design and integration capabilities, enhancing Hon Hai’s global competitiveness, the company said.
It should accelerate Hon Hai’s focus on diverse application scenarios, including mobile communication supplements, direct-to-cell, remote area connectivity, industrial Internet of Things and backup communications for specific environments, it said.
Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea and other low-cost airlines are feeling the financial pain from high jet fuel prices as a result of the Middle East war and are cutting flights. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has taken a huge chunk of oil supplies off the market, sending the price of jet fuel soaring and triggering fears of shortages that could force airlines to cancel flights. Airlines are not waiting for a lack of supplies to react. “Travel alert: Airlines are cutting thousands of flights right now,” Travel Therapy host Karen Schaler said in an Instagram reel this past weekend.
MANAGING RISKS: Taiwan has secured LNG sufficient to cover 95 percent of electricity demand for next month, UBS said, describing the government’s approach as proactive UBS Group AG has raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth this year to 8 percent, up from 6.9 percent previously, and said expansion could reach as high as 8.6 percent if external energy shocks are avoided. The upgrade reflects a stronger-than-expected first-quarter performance and sustained momentum in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven exports, which UBS said are providing a firm foundation for growth despite geopolitical and energy risks. Taiwan’s GDP expanded 13.69 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, the fastest growth since the second quarter of 1987, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported on Thursday. On a seasonally
Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) have repeatedly hit new highs, but an equity analyst said the stock’s valuation remains within a reasonable range and any pullback would likely be technical. The contract chipmaker’s historical price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has ranged between 20 and 30, Cathay Futures Consultant Co (國泰證期) analyst Tsai Ming-han (蔡明翰) told Central News Agency. With market consensus projecting that TSMC would post earnings per share of about NT$100 (US$3.17) this year, supported by strong global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and the stock currently trading at a P/E ratio of below 25, Tsai said the valuation
The US Department of Commerce last week ordered multiple chip equipment companies to halt shipments of certain tools to China’s second-largest chipmaker, Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd (華虹半導體), its latest action to slow the country’s development of advanced chips, two people familiar with the matter said. The department sent letters to at least a handful of companies informing them of restrictions on tools and other materials destined for two Hua Hong facilities US officials believe make China’s most sophisticated chips, the people said. Top US chip equipment companies Lam Research Corp, Applied Materials Inc and KLA Corp, each of which has significant
RSS