Three 8U cube satellites (CubeSats) are to be launched in tandem with the Formosat-8 satellite project in October, providing further opportunities for Taiwanese industries to join the international satellite supply chain, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said.
Backed by the National Science and Technology Council, the agency in 2002, then operating as the National Space Organization, launched a project to foster domestic capabilities in satellite systems integrations and in-orbit operations, culminating in last year’s launches of the 3U CubeSats Nightjar and Toro.
CubeSats are measured by units, with 1U being a block measuring 10cm on each side.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency
The agency’s announcement marked the commencement of the project’s second phase, which Hsinchu City-based Tron Future Tech (創未來科技) would join, as TASA seeks to launch four 8U CubeSats this year and next year.
Tron Future’s satellite would focus on providing broadband services and trialing the delivery of high-speed communications and the capacity to “hand off” from one satellite to another on the Ka-band microwave frequency.
The second satellite, developed by New Taipei City’s Rapidtek Technologies Inc (鐳洋科技), would take over the duties of Nightjar, which has completed two-way communications and has proven capable of stable reception of Ku-band microwave signals, the agency said.
Pyras Technology Inc (芳興科技), also based in New Taipei City, manufactured the Toro 1 satellite, which is expected to build on services provided by Toro and also contain an ocean color imager remote sensing instrument, the agency said.
Project head Chen Chia-jui (陳嘉瑞) said TASA is focused on missions that would provide better opportunities for commercial applications to allow more Taiwanese companies to become part of the global satellite supply chain.
Network provision on the Ka-band range offers great potential, while the implementation of Internet of Things technology could provide environmental monitoring applications, he said, adding that ocean color readings would help the fishing industry.
Along with the three 8U CubeSats and Formosat-8, the Lilium-2 and Lilium-3 satellites, jointly developed by National Cheng Kung University, National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Tamkang University, would also be launched on Space Exploration Technologies Corp’s Transporter 15 rocket.
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