Two Taiwanese space technology products developed by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and start-up Tensor Tech Co were yesterday launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida in a joint mission.
The Transporter-3 mission launched at 10:25am on Thursday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The program put 105 small satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 525km, NASASpaceflight.com says.
Among them was a cubesat — a small research satellite — named Iris-A, developed by NCKU electrical engineering professor Juang Jyh-ching (莊智清).
Photo courtesy of NCKU professor Juang Jyh-ching
Juang said that his team has received data transmitted by the cubesat via a ground station at the university’s campus in Tainan’s Gueiren District (歸仁).
The cubesat consists of a camera developed by Liscotech System Co, a long-range receiver by Letscom International Ltd, a GPS receiver by the National Space Organization (NSPO) and a reference clock by NCKU, according to Juang’s Space Lab Web site.
The GPS receiver in the cubesat is a miniaturized test model of what is to be used in NSPO Triton and Formosat-8 satellites to be launched at later dates, Juang said.
The cubesat is tasked with demonstrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology, including communication experiments using long-range delay tolerant network and Doppler compensation experiments, as well as testing the camera’s imaging capability, he said.
Iris-A is the first of a cubesat series, with Iris-B and Iris-C set to be launched at the end of this year or later, Juang said.
The launch mission also involves a novel attitude determination and control system (ADCS) developed by Tensor Tech, installed on Polish firm SatRevolution’s cubesat named Stork-1.
“This ADCS is actuated using a spherical motor with a rotor that can spin on multiple axes,” Tensor Tech said in a statement.
Conventional ADCS systems use three motors on three axes to rotate a satellite to a desired position, while Tensor Tech refined the functioning to one spherical motor to minimize the satellite’s weight, volume and power consumption, it said.
Stork-1 was designed to last three years, although its lifespan would be affected by a number of factors, said Tensor Tech cofounder and CEO Thomas Yen (顏伯勳).
The company is seeking clients in the US, Europe, Japan and India, and has discussed possible cooperation opportunities with local universities, Yen said.
Most Taiwanese businesses in the space-tech supply chain serve as OEM suppliers or satellite component producers, while the company aims to develop satellite subsystems or services to expand its market scope, he said.
The company could face challenges if it attempts to install the system on larger satellites, industry experts have said.
While the logic for controlling different satellites is the same, Tensor Tech will have to redesign the ADCS for larger satellites, which is one of the company’s goals, Yen said.
Founded in 2019, Tensor Tech branched from the laboratory of NCKU electrical engineering professor Hsieh Min-fu (謝旻甫), Yen said, adding that local electronics firms are its main investors.
The company has six full-time employees and two part-time workers, said 21-year-old Yen, who suspended his studies during his first year at National Taiwan University.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS