Formosat-5

Formosat-5
Artist's concept of Formosat-5
Mission typeEarth observation
OperatorNSPO
COSPAR ID2017-049A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.42920
WebsiteFormosat-5
Mission durationPlanned: 5 years
Elapsed: 7 years, 2 months, 30 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerNSPO
Launch mass475 kg (1,047 lb)[1]
Dimensions1.6 × 2.8 m (5.2 × 9.2 ft)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date24 August 2017, 18:51 (2017-08-24UTC18:51) UTC[2]
RocketFalcon 9 FT
Launch siteVandenberg SLC-4E
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSun-synchronous
Semi-major axis7,101.4 km (4,412.6 mi)
Eccentricity0.0009348
Perigee altitude716.6 km (445.3 mi)
Apogee altitude729.9 km (453.5 mi)
Inclination98.2892°
Period99.25 minutes
Epoch25 August 2017, 12:30:14 UTC[3]
FORMOSAT programme

Formosat-5 (Formosa Satellite 5; Chinese: 福爾摩沙衛星五號) is the first Earth observation satellite manufactured and operated solely by the National Space Organization, the national civilian space agency of Taiwan. The satellite was launched from a Falcon 9 rocket on 24 August 2017, and placed into a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 720 km. Formosat-5 can capture color and more detailed monochrome images, along with measuring the ionosphere plasma's properties.

  1. ^ a b "Space Programs: FORMOSAT-5: Satellite". National Space Organization. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  2. ^ Clark, Stephen (25 August 2017). "Taiwanese satellite rides SpaceX rocket". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  3. ^ "FORMOSAT-5: TLE". Space-track.org. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.