SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches, Taiwan-US Formosat-7/COSMIC-2 deployed

2019/06/27

Formosat-7/COSMIC-2, a group of six satellites jointly developed by Taiwan and the U.S., was launched at 2:30 a.m. EST June 25 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking a milestone for the country’s space technology industry.
 
 An initiative between the National Space Organization and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the satellite constellation was carried into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It is designed to improve meteorological forecasting accuracy and space weather monitoring.
 
 Speaking at the launch broadcast event at NSPO in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu City, President Tsai Ing-wen said Formosat-7 comprises the most advanced climate monitoring satellites in the world. The collaborative project is the largest of its kind between Taiwan and the U.S., with the data collected by the constellation set to aid research on climate change, disaster preparedness and sustainable development, she added.
 
 According to American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen, the program highlights Taiwan’s advanced technological capabilities and underscores the strength of bilateral ties in the 40th year of the Taiwan Relations Act.
 
 Formosat-7 is set to take over from Formosat-3, another Taiwan-U.S. development. It can capture 4,000 atmospheric and ionospheric profiles of tropical and subtropical regions each day, three to four times the amount of the older system.
 
 Established in 1991, NSPO is administered by the National Applied Research Laboratories under the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is committed to becoming a center of innovation for space science and conducting domestic and international space programs.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)