The Formosat-3/COSMIC satellite constellation, a Taiwan-US collaboration, is to officially retire today, with the Formosat-7/COSMIC-2 constellation taking over its weather observation mission, the National Space Organization (NSPO) said yesterday.
The six-satellite Formosat-3 constellation was launched on April 15, 2006, atop a Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Its original mission was to end after five years, but it has far outlived its expected life span, with only one satellite, the FM6, intermittently producing limited meteorological radio occultation data, said the NSPO, an agency under the National Applied Research Laboratories.
Photo courtesy of the National Applied Research Laboratories
The NSPO is to determine if FM6 — the only one that can still receive signals — can be recalled to be burned up in the atmosphere, NSPO Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jeng (余憲政) told the Taipei Times.
The agency has already lost communication with the other five satellites, Yu said.
The agency and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decided to terminate the satellite’s functions, ending its data transmission and upload capabilities, the NSPO said.
Formosat-3’s accuracy and stability was recognized by the global meteorology community, with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in 2012 calling it the fifth-best meteorological observation system.
Despite generating a relatively small volume of data — about 2 to 3 percent of all data used in weather forecasting — Formosat-3 contributed to reducing forecast errors by 10 percent, the ECMWF said.
It assisted the US government in making emergency evacuation decisions with its accurate prediction of Hurricane Sandy’s trajectory in 2012, the NSPO said.
“As of Monday last week, there are 4,551 registered community users from 92 nations that used the data,” the NSPO said.
The constellation set an excellent lifetime record and has been mentioned in numerous papers featured in leading academic journals, such as Nature and Science, as well as publications focused on atmospheric science and engineering, it added.
The Formosat-7 constellation, which is also comprised of six satellites, was launched on June 25 last year.
Data gathered by Formosat-7 has been publicly available since March 7.
The Central Weather Bureau’s data analysis center daily releases all meteorological data gathered from the previous day, allowing research facilities to apply to research extreme or abnormal weather patterns; the formation of typhoons and their paths; and predictions and analysis for heavy rainfall, the NSPO said.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS