First Taiwan-Made Weather Satellite 'Triton' Showing Promising Data
The Taiwan Space Agency says preliminary data from the country's first domestically made weather satellite, named "Triton," could help boost the accuracy of forecasts. The space agency is aiming for more milestones, including selecting a domestic rocket launch site by the end of the year.
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00:00After over six months of careful calibration and data validation, Taiwan's space agency
00:06is sharing preliminary results from the first domestically made weather satellite, Triton.
00:11Its launch last year was hailed as a breakthrough for Taiwan's tech prowess, with science leaders
00:16expressing high hopes for Triton's weather forecasting capabilities.
00:21Also known as the Wind Hunter, the satellite is designed to predict typhoon intensities.
00:26The space agency says Triton can gather between 30,000 to 40,000 reflection signals each day,
00:33which is a measure of the height of sea surfaces.
00:36This helps fill gaps in radar data, Taiwan's main source to forecast heavy rainfall, and
00:41significantly boosts its accuracy.
00:56Currently, Triton focuses on parts of the Indian, Atlantic and Western Pacific Oceans.
01:12The space agency hopes that Triton will help set new standards for weather monitoring and
01:17extreme weather preparedness.
01:20Taiwan is aiming for new heights in the aerospace sector.
01:23Looking ahead, the space agency hopes to select a domestic rocket launch site by the
01:28end of this year, and also launch the highly-anticipated, upgraded-for-MOSAT-8, an Earth observation
01:35satellite next year, aiming to give a clearer view of the world from space.
01:40John Su and Joyce Sun in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.