FORMOSAT - 3 in Orbit
The FORMOSAT - 3 was lefted into orbit on Saturday morning, April 15 on an US rocket. It will monitor changes of climate aiming for more accurate weather forcasts. The FORMOSAT - 3, a satellite mainly developed by Taiwanese scientists, is said to be a joint project of Taiwan and the US, was launched from a US Air Force base in California. The satellite is consisted with 6 microsatellites, each weighing 62kg. and orbiting seperately to collect and analyze information from 2,500 weather monitoring points aound the globe. Although it is said to be a joint project, Taiwan invested more than 80% of the expenses of about NT$80 million or US$2.42 million, even the rocket used in launching was paid by Taiwan. But the US State Department interfered (under Chinese pressure?) to deny the national flag of Taiwan to be painted on the FORMOSAT - 3. The previously launched FORMOSAT - 1 and FORMOSAT - 2 have the flags painted on as they were launched “commercially”. Though denied to have the national flag painted on it. after hard negotiations with officials in the US State Department, the US agreed to having the Chinese characters of Taiwan, Taiwan in English, and FORMOSAT - 3 be painted on the surface, along with a map of Taiwan covered with pictures of the island’s produces of fruits and fish and a tiny national flag at the rim of the Earth. The map was a contest wining picture of a very young boy. Some one has said that to have a satellite in orbit, carrying TAIWAN both in the Chinese characters and in English as the FORMOSAT - 3 does, is really a MERIT OF ACCIDENT!