Taiwan is seeking to work with Germany and France on space technology, the National Science and Technology Council said on Tuesday.
A delegation to Europe, led by National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠), has met with aerospace leaders in France and Germany to discuss the latest developments in the field and the countries’ priorities, the council said in a statement.
Wu talked with German Aerospace Center CEO Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla about the possibility of tapping into Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to develop satellite components, it said.
Wu said that Taiwan’s space industry is working to develop high-resolution remote sensing satellites and low Earth orbit communication satellites, among other craft.
The delegation, which arrived in Europe on Tuesday last week and returns tomorrow, also visited France-based Arianespace, the world’s first commercial launch service provider, to check on the progress of launch preparations for Taiwan’s first indigenous weather satellite, Triton, the council said.
It is in the testing stage ahead of its planned launch on March 10 next year, on a Vega C rocket built by Arianespace at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, it said.
Also called “Wind Hunter” (獵風者) in Chinese, Triton would primarily be used for sea surface observation, which is expected to boost Taiwan’s weather and climate forecasting capabilities, it said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19