[Reporter Chen Jiayi / Taipei Report] Taiwan's space satellite program has a new milestone! The National Science Council (NSC) announced today (27th) that the NUTSAT CubeSat, developed by National Formosa University of Science and Technology (NFUST), was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) early this morning, Taiwan time. It is expected to be deployed into orbit from the ISS in December, which will help receive aircraft radio signals for flight safety, rescue operations, and drone management.
The NSC stated that NUTSAT CubeSat was launched at 3:20 a.m., Taiwan time, on the 27th (2:20 p.m., Eastern Time, on the 26th), from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. It is expected to be released into orbit by the ISS's robotic arm in December, and will operate in a circular orbit at an altitude of 420 km above Earth.
The NSC said that NUTSAT CubeSat was developed by the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at NFUST. It is a 2U CubeSat, weighing 2.1 kg and measuring 10 x 10 x 23 cm, equipped with a self-made broadcast Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver from NFUST. It can receive aircraft radio signals for aviation management, flight safety rescue, and drone management.
The NSC's Space Center stated that ADS-B technology is currently used in commercial satellites. If Taiwan can master the key technology of this payload's design and development, it can be further applied to Taiwan’s domestically developed mission-type small satellites in the future, ensuring that related data will no longer be restricted by foreign entities.
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NUTSAT CubeSat orbit simulation image. (Provided by NSC)
- News link: NUTSAT CubeSat Launch – Expected to Deploy from ISS in December - Liberty Times Net (ltn.com.tw)
