Formosat-5, the nation’s first domestically developed remote-sensing satellite, has taken more than 60,000 images since it was launched five years ago, the National Science and Technology Council said on the anniversary of its launch on Thursday.
The satellite was launched on Aug. 25, 2017, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, and began commercial operations on Sept. 21, 2018.
Since then, it has taken more than 60,000 images with a success rate of 94.87 percent, council data showed.
Photo: CNA
Formosat-5 not only established Taiwan as a capable developer of satellites and optical parts, but also helps with disaster response around the world, council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
In the past five years, it has provided images of areas affected by 19 domestic and 101 international disasters, council data showed.
These include major events such as the July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes in southern California, flooding in Kaohsiung on Aug. 6 last year and the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption in the South Pacific in January, the council said.
Through the images, countries could grasp a better understanding of the respective situation on the ground, it said.
Large-scale wind events, weather and other factors can affect the operation of reconnaissance aircraft, but satellite images can be taken immediately, the National Space Organization (NSPO) said.
The satellite also helps governments, industry and academics with ecological monitoring, Wu said.
For instance, Formosat-5 has helped countries in Central America fight Panama disease, which poses a serious threat to banana crops, the council said.
As the banana industry is crucial for diplomatic allies Guatemala, Honduras and Belize, they sought assistance from Taiwan to fight the fungus-caused disease, it said.
Researchers developed a program that can automatically identify affected areas through regular images taken by Formosat-5, enabling farmers to quickly remove threatened plants and stymie the spread, it added.
Formosat-5 set a milestone for Taiwanese space technology, the council said.
Third-party manufacturers involved in the satellite’s production have achieved the highest level of NASA’s nine-tiered technology readiness system, granting the industry a firm foothold in international markets, it added.
Formosat-5 is still in good condition, even though it has reached the end of its expected lifespan, the NSPO said.
For now, it is to remain in operation, with plans to experiment with other functions to gather data for future satellite design and maintenance, it added.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
RSS