Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/10
By: Milly Lin and Elaine Hou
Taipei, March 10 (CNA) Taiwan is scheduled to send Formosa Satellite No. 7
FORMOSAT-2 launched in May 2004 (Photo courtesy of the National Space Organization)
(FORMOSAT-7) into space by the end of 2016, in effort to collect more detailed atmospheric data to enhance the accuracy of weather forecasts, according to the country’s National Space Organization (NSPO).
The FORMOSAT-7 is a major collaborative space program between Taiwan’s NSPO and the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It follows the successful FORMOSAT-3 program that was launched 10 years ago.
The new program is comprised of 12 microsatellites, it said. The 12 satellites are slated to be launched and deployed in two clusters of 6 satellites into designated low and high inclination orbits in 2016 and 2018, respectively, it added.
After it is fully deployed in 2018, the FORMOSAT-7 constellation is expected to provide 8,000 atmospheric soundings per day, the NSPO said, adding that the data will contribute to weather forecasts and climate observations.
Through collecting more detailed atmospheric data, this new satellite program will improve the observation of typhoons and enhance the accuracy of weather forecasts, it added. [FULL STORY]
