The first satellite of Formosat-8, Taiwan’s first domestically developed optical remote sensing satellite constellation, left the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) headquarters in Hsinchu yesterday ahead of its launch in the US next month.
The Formosat-8 system is to replace Formosat-5, the nation’s first self-manufactured single satellite, that was launched into space in 2017.
President William Lai (賴清德), National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) and TASA Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) were at the ceremony for the satellite’s send-off at TASA’s headquarters.
Photo: CNA
Lai said the Formosat-8 system is the pillar of the third phase of the National Space Technology Long-Term Development Program, which was approved during his term as premier.
The launch of the first satellite of Formosat-8 marks the start of the construction of Taiwan’s own satellite constellation, with more Taiwanese satellites expected to enter orbit in the future, he said.
Lai also announced that the first satellite is to be named Chi Po-lin Satellite (齊柏林衛星) after the Taiwanese documentary filmmaker and aerial photographer who died in a helicopter crash in 2017 while shooting a sequel to his documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (看見台灣).
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
“During his 25-year career as an aerial photographer, Chi recorded the natural sceneries of Taiwan and how they have changed, raising public awareness about their responsibility to this land. We hope to extend his spirit to space through the satellite, so that it can continue to watch over Taiwan,” Lai said, thanking Chi’s family for allowing the satellite to be named after him.
Chi’s son Chi Ting-huan (齊廷洹) said that “Chi Po-lin” now stands for the vision and spirit of how Taiwanese protect their homeland.
“My father recorded from the sky the changes in the landscape wrought by the magnitude 7.3 earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, and disasters caused by Typhoon Morakot from Aug. 6 to Aug. 10, 2009, to assist disaster-relief efforts,” Chi Ting-huan said.
“The launch of the Chi Po-lin satellite would make it possible to look at Taiwan and record the world from a higher vantage point and wider field of view. The world would also see Taiwan’s capabilities and the assistance that it can offer,” he added.
Wu Cheng-wen said that 84 percent of the Chi Po-lin satellite’s key components were developed in Taiwan, adding that it is scheduled to be launched next month after completing tests.
Formosat 8’s resolution has been enhanced to show objects smaller than 1m, a significant improvement over the 2m resolution of Formosat 5, the minister said.
“There are other satellites in the Formosat-8 constellationthat have yet to be created. Our goal is to push the resolution further to 70cm, even to 50cm,” he said. “Formosat-5 allowed us to see a house from space, but we can clearly identify a car with Formosat-8.”
The Executive Yuan in July approved the Next-Generation Communication Technology Development Plan to complement the third phase of the National Space Technology Long-Term Development Program and advance the development of satellite communications technologies, he said.
Wu Jong-shinn said Formosat-8’s high domestic content ratio was made possible after TASA took the lead in advancing the domestic development of optical, mechanical, electrical control and flight control systems.
The technology breakthroughs achieved by the new satellite system mark a steady advance toward Taiwan’s autonomous space development, he added.
Formosat-8 is to have eight satellites, with the launch of all of them scheduled to be completed by 2031, he said.
Once in operation, the new satellite system would pass over Taiwan three times a day, allowing rescuers to gauge the scope of damage after a disaster through real-time images, he added.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
RSS