Taiwan Today

Taiwan’s Formosat-5, an ultra-high-resolution Earth observation satellite

A technician works on Taiwan’s first locally made space-grade optical remote sensing instrument before its installation on the Formosat-5 satellite. (Courtesy of NSPO)

operated by the Hsinchu City-headquartered National Space Organization, is scheduled for launch in February 2016, according to the NSPO.

With over 70 percent of the satellite having been developed domestically, Formosat-5 contains a locally made optical remote sensing payload, a Cassegrain telescope-type remote sensing instrument and the world’s first complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor linear image sensor.

NSPO Director-General Chang Guey-shin said Oct. 15 that the satellite has passed space environment and function tests and is set to take over duties from Formosat-2, which has been in orbit since 2004.     [FULL  STORY]