A satellite designed and produced by Taiwan Space Agency was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Transporter-12 rocket Jan. 15 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the U.S. State of California, the TASA said in a press release.
The 3U-class satellite, which is composed of three units of standardized blocks of roughly 10 cubic centimeters each, was launched at 3:09 a.m., positioned in low-earth orbit at an altitude of 515 kilometers 57 minutes later and successfully connected with a TASA station at 11:05 a.m.
According to project leader Tseng Chien-kai, the satellite was named PARUS-T1 after Taiwan’s indigenous species Sittiparus castaneoventris, or chestnut-bellied tit. It is hoped that locally produced satellites can soar into the sky with the country’s innovation and high-tech prowess, like the small agile bird, he added.
The TASA said the satellite carries an experimental communication payload to test the agency’s ability to design and produce CubeSats bodies. If it remains stable, PARUS-T1 will also conduct communication experiments and test autonomous identification of marine traffic over its estimated mission duration of 12 months, the agency added.
The PARUS-T1 is part of TASA’s CubeSats/Micro-Satellite Development Program. Launched in 2022, the project aims to collaborate with Taiwan’s industrial manufacturers to develop commercial application constellation missions that use locally developed payloads as a way to promote the country’s component and module sectors.
Two 3U satellites named “Nightjar and” “TORO” and the 6U “ONGLAISAT” were launched last year, and more are set to be launched in the second half of 2025, the TASA said. (SFC-E)
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