The Deep Space Radiation Probe developed by National Central University (NCU) could be launched into space in the fourth quarter of this year after researchers confirmed that the system is ready for the nation’s first moon mission with a Japanese start-up.
“Pleased to report that we have successfully completed the handover of the National Central University Deep Space Radiation Probe (DSRP) payload to ispace Inc for integration with the Hakuto-R Mission 2 Resilience lunar lander,” NCU Department of Space Science and Engineering professor and dean Loren Chang (張起維) wrote on Facebook.
“Final payload software updates and functional checks were performed to verify that the DSRP flight model is ready for the mission to characterize the ionizing radiation environment from the Earth to the moon and its effects on electronics,” he wrote.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
“Thank you to the student members of the DSRP payload team for designing, implementing and qualifying Taiwan’s first lunar payload in 21 months, as well as the ispace team for your support and guidance. We look forward to launching in Q4 of this year, as well as continuing collaboration and exchanges on this and future missions,” he wrote.
Various nations have begun planning missions to the moon in the past few years, hoping to establish permanent bases to harness lunar resources, Chang told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Increasingly more opportunities would be available in the near future for small and medium-sized satellites to ride along with larger projects to deep space or the moon, he said.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
“Deep space is more than 2,000km away from Earth, and ionizing radiation in deep space is expected to create problems for electronic devices and life forms flying in it. However, the radiation is either blocked by the Earth or absorbed by the atmosphere,” Chang said.
“To have a deeper understanding of space radiation, we hope to measure it from Earth to the moon and the speed of its accumulation, which can serve as a reference for space missions or be considered when designing electronic and space products,” he added.
There are strict requirements for the size, weight and power consumption for the payload system, he said.
The weight must be less than 400g, which is equivalent to one bag of tea, and only slightly larger than the palm of a human hand, he said.
“It also needs to survive in the extreme temperatures of space for at least four months, and [we must] ensure that it does not crash and can perform its mission,” Chang said.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
‘CRUDE’: The potential countermeasure is in response to South Africa renaming Taiwan’s representative offices and the insistence that it move out of Pretoria Taiwan is considering banning exports of semiconductors to South Africa after the latter unilaterally downgraded and changed the names of Taiwan’s two representative offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. On Monday last week, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation unilaterally released a statement saying that, as of April 1, the Taipei Liaison Offices in Pretoria and Cape Town had been renamed the “Taipei Commercial Office in Johannesburg” and the “Taipei Commercial Office in Cape Town.” Citing UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, it said that South Africa “recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
RSS