The first satellite of the Formosat-8 project, the FS-8A, was shipped to the US today for launch next month, demonstrating Taiwan’s determination to develop space technology and enter the international space market, President William Lai (賴清德) said.
Lai attended a ceremony marking the satellite’s delivery at the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA).
In his speech, Lai said that the Formosat-8 project is an important milestone for Taiwan’s space technology field and would replace the Formosat-5, which has reached the end of its service life.
Photo: CNA
Lai revealed that the FS-8A has been named the Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) Satellite after the famous Taiwanese film director, continuing his legacy to watch over Taiwan from space.
The satellite and subsequent ones from the Formosat-8 project would form a close network to observe the Earth, Lai said.
The data collected from these satellites would be widely applied in national land planning, agricultural monitoring, disaster response and environmental protection, he said.
This would not only improve people’s quality of life, but also strengthen the nation’s overall resilience by addressing challenges posed by climate change and geopolitical risks, he added.
The president went on to praise TASA for advancing satellite research and technology, building on the foundation of the Formosat-5 project.
More than 20 industrial, academic and research institutions participated in the design, manufacturing and testing of the Chi Po-lin Satellite, with 84 percent of key satellite components produced domestically, Lai said.
The Formosat-8 project encompasses eight optical remote-sensing satellites, six of which have native resolutions of 1m while the other two have resolutions of less than 1m.
A native resolution of 1m means that each pixel in an image captured by the satellite represents 1m² on the ground.
One satellite is to be launched annually from this year until 2031, and deployed to orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 561km.
Compared to the Formosat-5 satellite, which has a native resolution of 2m, the Formosat-8 satellites have a higher resolution and would operate in formation, allowing for more frequent and clearer imaging of the Earth’s surface.
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