The first model of the Formosat-8 satellite project, the FS-8A, is set to ship to the US next month and launch into orbit in October, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said yesterday.
The FS-8A, Taiwan’s first remote-sensing satellite, completed all its functions tests, and could now be certified and prepared for launch, the agency said.
After passing a pre-shipment review and calibration early next month, it would be shipped to the US’ Vandenberg Space Force Base to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 15 ridesharing mission in October.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency
The Formosat-8 program is a priority mission in the third phase of the national space technology program. It involves launching eight remote-sensing satellites, with six of them having the ability to capture high-resolution images of objects 1m above ground from an altitude of 561km. The other two satellites allow it to capture images less than 1m above ground.
One satellite is to be launched annually until 2031, and deployed to orbit around the Earth at a 561km altitude.
TASA Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) said that the project has faced multiple delays, but those issues were overcome through the patience and hard work of the development team.
Compared with Formosat-5, Formosat-8 can provide resolutions of less than 1m, Wu added.
Once in orbit, the satellites would pass over Taiwan multiple times per day, significantly enhancing the nation’s national security and disaster response needs, he said.
Formosat-8 project manager Cynthia Liu (劉小菁) said that the satellite has gone through rigorous testing to ensure that it could withstand the launch and the harsh conditions in space.
Given that satellites cannot be repaired once they are in space, it is essential to find and fix all issues while still on the ground, Liu added.
For example, the team found that the satellite had an issue sending commands to its propulsion system, she said, adding that it was resolved in three days.
Ye Chia-ching (葉嘉靖), who is in charge of testing the FS-8A, said that assembly and testing took more than a year, although the team completed its most difficult thermal vacuum test in only half the time expected.
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