Taiwan’s next-generation Formosat 7 satellite blasts off from Kennedy Space Centre
- New system expected to increase the accuracy of Taiwan’s weather forecasts by at least 10 per cent
Taiwan’s US$210 million next-generation satellite constellation, Formosat 7, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday.
The project, a joint venture with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will help advance both the island’s space programme and collect reconnaissance and weather data.
The satellite was launched along with a total of 24 payloads by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 2.30pm Taiwan time (2.30am US East Coast Time).
It separated from the rocket about 90 minutes later. The satellite was expected to connect to a signal station in Taiwan within six hours, according to Taiwan’s National Space Organisation (NSO).
Watching the launch live at the NSO, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said the endeavour was a milestone in Taiwan’s space development and the biggest joint science programme with the United States.
“We will share its data with the rest of the world,” Tsai said.
