Onglaisat, a satellite codeveloped by Taiwan and Japan, was successfully launched into space on Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said yesterday.
The cube satellite, or cubesat, is scheduled to reach the International Space Station and be deployed into a 410km low Earth orbit in about one month to begin its test mission, the agency said in a statement.
During the six-month mission, Onglaisat would be used to validate the key technologies of a newly developed remote sensing system, said the agency, which is part of the National Science and Technology Council.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency
Onglaisat, which was launched aboard SpaceX’s CRS-31 resupply mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida, would test high-resolution data collection and image compression technologies it developed in collaboration with the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, the agency said.
The small satellite would achieve a ground image resolution of 2.8m, surpassing the typical resolution of 5m to 6m for satellites of the same class, said Chan Chen-yu (詹鎮宇), the project’s leader.
The satellite, codeveloped by TASA and the Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory at the University of Tokyo’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, along with several start-ups, also offers a valuable opportunity for scientific exchange and study, Chan said.
“Onglai” is a Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) word that symbolizes aspirations for joint efforts between the two countries in space, he said.
The name means “prosperity” and “pineapple,” reflecting the launch, and hope for an enduring friendship and collaboration between Taiwan and Japan, he said.
The satellite was named in 2021, when Taiwan was seeking to expand its pineapple exports following a ban by China on the fruit from Taiwan, Chan said.
Japan showed strong support by purchasing large quantities, a gesture that resonated deeply with many Taiwanese, he added.
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
RSS