CALIFORNIA: Six weather satellites that were launched Friday evening reached their orbit approx. 800km above Earth, today. The joint US and Taiwanese mission is designed to last five years and will help both countries to better monitor climatic changes and track hurricanes.
As the 40in high, 70kg satellites settled into orbit, they separated to form a chain. Once into position, they will take about 2,500 measurements daily using a GPS radio receiver and a photometer. The data will be relayed back to Earth.
The joint effort costing about $100m is funded by institutes representing the American Institute in Taiwan and Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US. Taiwan has contributed about 80 percent of the cost.
These include the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va. and the National Space Organization of Taiwan. The Colorado-based University Corporation for Atmospheric Research will be managing the mission.
The six-satellite cluster is expected to aid research and improve weather forecasting both in the US and Taiwan. A Taiwanese spokesperson said the mission would certainly help predict the path of typhoons as the satellites measure their wind strengths and rainfall amount. The satellites are also equipped to observe space weather and forewarn scientists about geomagnetic storms that are known to disrupt power grids and telecommunications networks.
In the US, the mission is called COSMIC, abbr. of Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate. In Taiwan, it is known as FORMOSAT-3.
