The National Space Organization (NSPO) yesterday signed memorandums of agreement with Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University to boost the nation’s capabilities in radiation testing of satellite components and space industry development.
The documents were signed by NSPO Director-General Lin Chun-liang (林俊良), the hospital’s Proton and Radiation Therapy Center convener Hung Ji-hong (洪志宏) and the university’s Institute for Radiological Research dean Tung Chuan-jong (董傳中).
Electronic components used in satellites have to be resistant to space radiation, which can disrupt electronic signals or cause systems to work incorrectly or even break down, the NSPO said.
Photo: CNA
The hospital in November 2015 set a milestone in cancer treatment by putting four proton radiotherapy devices — the world’s most advanced — into clinical service, the organization said.
The hospital also set up a particle physics and beam delivery core laboratory for research purposes, such as electronic component testing, the NSPO said.
Radiation testing of satellite components in simulated space conditions include total radiation dose testing and proton radiation testing, NSPO Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jen (余憲政) said.
While total dose testing can be performed at National Tsing Hua University’s Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center, only the Atomic Energy Council’s Institute of Nuclear Energy Research can conduct proton radiation testing, but its facilities cannot meet the requirement of testing up to 150 mega-electron-volts (MeV), he said.
Previously, the NSPO had to ask foreign institutions, such as Texas A&M University or the University of California, Berkeley, to conduct tests, which took months and involved costs up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of New Taiwan dollars, he said.
The hospital’s facilities allow testing up to 150MeV, which would greatly improve the testing efficiency of locally developed components, Yu said.
The NSPO would serve as a consultant for Chang Gung institutions in matters related to space technology, while the institutions would charge component developers for testing, he said.
In related news, the NSPO is to exhibit key component models of remote sensing satellite Formosat-5 and the Triton microsatellite, part of the Formosat-7 array, in a technology show in Indonesia in September organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
Formosat-5, the nation’s first domestically developed satellite, was launched on Aug. 25, 2017, form California, the Triton weather satellite, of which most key components were developed by Taiwanese scientists, is scheduled to be launched in 2021.
Indonesia is a major player in space technology in Southeast Asia after India, and it also aspires for autonomous satellite development, Yu said, adding that the NSPO looks forward to more collaboration with the country.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to