Formosat-8 satellite better than expected, TASA saysTAIWAN PROWESS: FS-8A’s highest-resolution images could be useful in disaster prevention, national security, mapping and precision agriculture, the agency saidBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe Formosat-8 Chi Po-lin Satellite (FS-8A), the first satellite in Taiwan’s first domestically produced optical remote sensing satellite constellation, has delivered results beyond expectations, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said yesterday after the satellite released its first images on Wednesday last week. A Formosat-8 satellite orbits Earth in a simulated image. Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency via CNAThe instruments completed testing and their first scientific measurements during the satellite’s early orbital operations, TASA said. FS-8A’s main mission is optical remote imaging, and it can capture the world’s highest-resolution images in the red-edge bands, TASA said. The second Formast-8 satellite, FS-8B, is nearly complete and would soon begin tests, with launch expected via a SpaceX rocket at the end of this year.

Source: Taipei Times February 15, 2026 17:14 UTC