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ROCSAT-2 TO LEAVE TAIWAN DEC. 1 FOR U.S. FOR LAUNCH IN JANUARY

2003-11-28 13:12:07

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) The Republic of China's second satellite -- 
   ROCSAT-2 -- will leave Taiwan Dec. 1 for the United States where it 
   will be launched into orbit early next year, the National Space 
   Program Office (NSPO) said Friday. 
    Preparations to transport the 750kg satellite from Hsinchu in 
   northern Taiwan to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for 
   liftoff Jan. 17 have been completed, said Chen Jeng-shing, the 
   ROCSAT-2 project manager. 
    "The satellite has been placed in a 2,100kg container into which 
   nitrogen has been injected to ensure stable conditions for the long 
   journey to the United States," Chen said. 
    The container, owned by the NSPO's contractor Astrium Co. of 
   France, will be airlifted to Los Angeles and then delivered by truck 
   to Vandenberg Air Force Base located on the Pacific coast in central 
   California. 
    Chen said he will lead a 20-member team to Los Angeles Dec. 2 to 
   begin preparations for the launch. 
    Taiwan launched its first satellite -- ROCSAT-1 -- five years 
   ago. Chen said the launch of the ROCSAT-2 satellite, which carries a 
   price tag of NT$4.7 billion, will lead Taiwan into a new era of space 
   research. 
    According to Chen, the ROCSAT-2 satellite is different from its 
   predecessor in that it will have practical applications involving 
   remote-sensing technologies to help upgrade Taiwan's capabilities in 
   disaster prevention, land mapping and environmental monitoring. 
    The ROCSAT-2 satellite can take pictures of objects on the ground 
   as small as two meters across, Chen said, adding that the satellite 
   is designed to orbit the Earth 14 times a day, including two passes 
   over Taiwan, at 891 km above the Earth. 
    In addition to its remote sensing mission, the ROCSAT-2 has the 
   scientific mission of investigating various lighting phenomena in the 
   upper atmosphere. 
    The ROC government launched a 15-year space technology 
   development plan in 1991. In its initial stage, the NSPO is 
   concentrating on a satellite project known as ROCSAT, which consists 
   of three different satellite ventures. 
    The first venture involved the ROC's first satellite -- ROCSAT-1 
   -- which was built by the U.S. firm TRW and successfully launched in 
   1999 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, while the third satellite, 
   ROCSAT-3, is an ROC-U.S. joint venture, which will be launched in 
   2005. Some components of these satellites will be manufactured in 
   Taiwan under the auspices of technology transfer from foreign 
   contractors.