Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday.
The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee.
Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency
Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors to complete its communication payload system, with a verification test flight scheduled in 2030, it said.
The other four LEO satellites would be produced through partnerships with Taiwanese firms and overseas contractors, with the ultimate goal of cultivating two small satellite system developers in Taiwan, it said.
Meanwhile, the government would continue the development of remote sensing satellites, including Formosat-8 and Formosat-9, the council said.
The Formosat-8 system would include six high-resolution and two very high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites, with the first satellite scheduled to be launched in October, it said.
The Formosat-9 system would consist of two satellites with synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) capable of all-weather, day-and-night observations.
The system’s first satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2028, the council said.
The two remote sensing satellite systems would create a more comprehensive satellite observation network, it said.
Taiwan Space Agency Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) told the legislative committee that at least three of the Formosat-8 satellites would be equipped with edge computing capabilities.
Older satellite models collect and send raw data to ground stations for analyses, which often results in latency, consumes significant bandwidth and incurs high costs, the council said.
Satellites equipped with edge computing capabilities can filter and compress data in real time and conduct preliminary analyses, it said.
Only the results of analyses or signal errors would be transmitted to ground stations, greatly enhancing the efficiency of data transmission, it added.
The next generation of satellites would have artificial intelligence functions, enabling real-time object detection, environmental monitoring, and advanced level autonomous data processing and decisionmaking, the council said.
Formosat-8 is scheduled to be delivered to the US in August for launch following a final calibration, Wu said.
“We are aiming to gradually raise the domestic component ratio in satellites to 95 percent,” he said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-ping (鍾佳濱) asked if SAR-equipped satellites can be used to support the military and the Coast Guard Administration in detecting Chinese rubber boats illegally entering Taiwan, given the difficulties in identifying such vessels with onshore radar systems.
Wu said that it is technically feasible if there are enough SAR-equipped satellites, adding that a broader range of observations can also be possible with the combination of SAR and uncrewed aerial vehicles that can stay in the air for more than 10 hours.
SAR can generate an image of nearly stationary objects, while inverse SAR can capture moving objects with precision, he said, adding that the agency would be glad to offer technical advice for such applications.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
RSS