The Formosat-7/COSMIC-2 satellite constellation was yesterday sent to Taoyuan International Airport to be forwarded via diplomatic pouch to the US today, while President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said it would be launched on June 22.
Tsai made the announcement at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Science and Technology at the National Space Organization (NSPO) at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區).
The constellation is the biggest-ever collaborative program between Taiwan and the US, Tsai said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Its launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket would be more good news following the revelation on Wednesday of the first image of a black hole by an international group of scientists, including Academia Sinica researchers, she said.
Taiwan plays a vital role in international space programs and has an important role in the Indo-Pacific region, she said, expressing hope that the nation would be safe and its people are proud of being Taiwanese.
The constellation comprises six satellites and is designed to take over the mission of collecting weather data from the Formosat-3/COSMIC constellation, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
Formosat-7 is expected to collect three or four times more data than its predecessor, which would improve weather forecasts and disaster prevention efforts, he said.
Each satellite is equipped with three important scientific payloads, the Tri-GNSS Radio Occultation System, an ion velocity meter and a radio frequency beacon, which would be managed by the US Air Force, the NSPO said.
Taiwan and the US each spent about NT$3.2 billion (US$103.6 million at the current exchange rate) on the program, sharing the total cost, NSPO Director-General Lin Chun-liang (林俊良) said.
The constellation would be sent to the US via diplomatic pouch, meaning that it would receive more courteous treatment and skip some inspection steps, Lin said.
After arriving at Miami International Airport, it is scheduled to reach the Kennedy Space Center at 6am tomorrow, he said.
Three hours after launch, the NSPO would know whether the constellation operates normally by examining the data it transmits through a signal reception station in Darwin, Australia, Lin said.
The launch has been postponed several times.
The constellation was to originally comprise of two groups of six satellites, but the development of the second group was canceled in October 2017 due to budget concerns in the US.
Changing policies and technical negotiations were the most challenging parts of the development process, said Formosat-7 project head Chu Chung-hui (朱崇惠), the NSPO’s first female project head, but added that space programs usually take a long time to come to fruition.
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: A new committee would investigate a backlog of US weapons sales to Taiwan, said its chairman, US Representative Mike Gallagher The US should formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, and end its outdated and counterproductive “one China” policy, US Representative Tom Tiffany and 18 other US lawmakers wrote in a petition. “It is time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the US government for decades: Taiwan is an independent nation,” Tiffany told the Epoch Times. “As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.” The resolution also asks the administration of US President Joe Biden to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral free-trade
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would
RSS