The six-satellite constellation, which gathers weather data between 50° north and south latitude, was launched into orbit on June 25 last year, another major Taiwan-US collaborative program following the Formosat-3/COSMIC constellation launched in 2006. In addition to improving forecasts, the data would advance projections of space weather events that can affect the precision of information and communication facilities, Wang said. Space weather forecasts are receiving mounting attention with the development of autonomous vehicles, which use GPS, Lin said. The atmospheric data gathered by the Tri-GNSS Radio Occultation System, which was part of each Formosat-7 satellite’s payload, would be available first, said National Space Organization (NSPO) member Chu Chung-hui (朱崇惠), the head of the Formosat-7 project in Taiwan. There are 10 ground stations — in Taiwan; Guam; Hawaii; Darwin, Australia; Mauritius; Kuwait; Ghana; Cuiaba, Brazil; Honduras; and Tahiti — that can receive Formosat-7 data, the NSPO said.

Source: Taipei Times March 06, 2020 15:56 UTC