The successful operation of the Exploration of Energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) research satellite, launched Dec. 20 in southern Japan, highlights Taiwan’s capabilities in building cutting-edge instruments for space missions, according to Taipei City-based Academia Sinica.
Equipped with the Low-Energy Particle Sensor for Electron (LEP-e), a particle analyzer developed by a Taiwan team, the research satellite began transmitting 37 minutes after liftoff from the Uchinoura Space Center. The mission is expected to last for one year.
When the satellite reaches its apogee of 33,200 km from the Earth, it will set a new space travel record for a Taiwan-made scientific instrument.
Implemented by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science under the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and involving more than 30 research organizations, the ERG is the result of an international project to study the magnetosphere of the Earth, especially the loss of high-energy electrons and the acceleration process of electrons in the Van Allen belts during geomagnetic storms.
Taiwan joined the project in 2013 through the participation of researchers from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Academia Sinica, the nation’s foremost research institution, and the Institute of Space and Plasma Sciences of National Cheng Kung University in the southern city of Tainan.
According to Wang Shiang-yu, a research fellow at Academia Sinica and key member of the Taiwan team, the LEP-e is one of nine instruments on board the ERG and enables the scientific research satellite to observe the distribution and density of low-energy electrons surrounding the Earth.
The local team is also responsible for providing the calibration parameters and program codes for data processing at the ERG Science Center in Nagoya. In addition, a data center is also being established at NCKU to facilitate collaboration on the ERG project, promote the mission among local scientists, and advance local space weather research.
“The ERG project provides a great opportunity for Taiwan researchers to accumulate valuable experience in developing advanced instruments for space research,” Wang said.
With firsthand access to ERG data, local scientists will also be able to conduct advanced research in geospace physics, Wang said, adding that he expects to see this endeavor pave the way for Taiwan to participate in further international space research projects. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
Equipped with the Low-Energy Particle Sensor for Electron (LEP-e), a particle analyzer developed by a Taiwan team, the research satellite began transmitting 37 minutes after liftoff from the Uchinoura Space Center. The mission is expected to last for one year.
When the satellite reaches its apogee of 33,200 km from the Earth, it will set a new space travel record for a Taiwan-made scientific instrument.
Implemented by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science under the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and involving more than 30 research organizations, the ERG is the result of an international project to study the magnetosphere of the Earth, especially the loss of high-energy electrons and the acceleration process of electrons in the Van Allen belts during geomagnetic storms.
Taiwan joined the project in 2013 through the participation of researchers from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Academia Sinica, the nation’s foremost research institution, and the Institute of Space and Plasma Sciences of National Cheng Kung University in the southern city of Tainan.
According to Wang Shiang-yu, a research fellow at Academia Sinica and key member of the Taiwan team, the LEP-e is one of nine instruments on board the ERG and enables the scientific research satellite to observe the distribution and density of low-energy electrons surrounding the Earth.
The local team is also responsible for providing the calibration parameters and program codes for data processing at the ERG Science Center in Nagoya. In addition, a data center is also being established at NCKU to facilitate collaboration on the ERG project, promote the mission among local scientists, and advance local space weather research.
“The ERG project provides a great opportunity for Taiwan researchers to accumulate valuable experience in developing advanced instruments for space research,” Wang said.
With firsthand access to ERG data, local scientists will also be able to conduct advanced research in geospace physics, Wang said, adding that he expects to see this endeavor pave the way for Taiwan to participate in further international space research projects. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw