In 2021, changes to the Formosat-7 joint Taiwan–US space program resulted in Taiwan turning what was originally slated to be the program’s 13th satellite into an independent project. The satellite, only the second that Taiwan has designed and manu­factured domestically, is known as in English as Triton and in Chinese as liefengzhe (“wind hunter”).

Triton/Formosat-7R fact file:

Payload: Global Navigation Satellite System–Reflectometry (GNSS-R) 

Weight: approx. 250 kg

Dimensions: 1 m x 1.2 m x 1.25 m (3.5 m with solar panel extended)

Orbital altitude: 550–650 km

Inclination: 97.66° 

Mission duration: 5 years

Launch vehicle: Vega-C

Awaiting launch

In Greek mythology, Triton is a son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. He bears a trident and carries a conch shell that he blows to calm or raise the seas when he begins a patrol. 

As the satellite’s name suggests, it is designed to track and measure air–sea interactions. Triton project head Lin Chen-tsung explains: “Triton will carry a Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry [GNSS-R] instrument developed by the National Space Organization and will fly in a low-Earth orbit, where it will collect GNSS signals reflected from the Earth’s surface. These reflected signals will provide information on wave height and sea-surface wind speed, helping us predict the strength and likely path of typhoons.” 

Triton is a relatively unique satellite. The UK carried out the first work in GNSS-R wind speed inversion, and Triton is just the fourth satellite to have its primary mission oriented around a GNSS-R scientific payload. Meteorological forecasting draws on a variety of measurements, but the ocean’s huge size and lack of weather stations means that in-situ observations are unavailable for vast areas of it. Forecasters therefore rely on data from weather satellites. Once launched and operational, Triton will provide an additional source of global sea-level fluctuation data that can be incorporated into global weather forecasts.  

Triton project head Lin Chen-tsung says that a successful Triton mission will demonstrate Taiwan’s growing grasp of satellite technology.

Triton’s GNSS instrument is designed to measure wind fields by collecting reflections from the ocean’s surface. These will provide data on wave height and sea-surface wind speeds, and help predict the strength and track of typhoons. (courtesy of NSPO)

Another leap forward

Taiwan launched its first domestically produced satellite, Formosat-5, into orbit on a remote sensing mission in 2017. Taiwan now plans to launch Triton, its second domestically designed and produced satellite, into space in 2023. 

It is worth noting that, as used here, “domestically produced” means simply that Taiwan developed key components and technologies, not the entire satellite. In the case of Triton, Taiwanese scientists and engineers carried out the R&D for the satellite’s scientific payload, the GNSS-R instrument. In fact, Taiwan developed this instrument surprisingly quickly: it will have taken less than ten years to design and manufacture the device and put it into service. Lin says, “We began work in 2014 and were able to conduct a test flight in 2016. We completed it in just two or three years, which is incredibly fast R&D. Optimizing the firmware on Triton’s GNSS-R enabled it to receive and process eight reflected GNSS signals simultaneously, more than double the capacity of the previous satellite.” Since more weather data means more accurate forecasts, Triton is sure to become an exceptionally valuable ­resource. 

Taiwan also produced 82% of ten key Triton components and technologies, including its ­onboard computer, power control unit, GPS receiver, and fiberoptic gyro. If we include ground-based equipment, a total of more than 20 domestic R&D teams and manufacturers have been involved in the ­project. 

Asked about the significance of Taiwan’s second domestically produced satellite, Lin thinks for a moment, and then explains that when your first pass at something new produces a good result, you are probably on the right track with your general approach, but are likely still figuring out the details. After your second successful pass, you prob­ably have 95% of the details worked out, and by your third, you know exactly what you are doing. He says that Taiwan’s domestic satellite production has followed that kind of track: Formosat-5’s success was inspiring, and if Triton is similarly successful, “it will provide another testament to Taiwan’s satellite R&D capabilities.” 

Here, Triton undergoes electromagnetic compatibility testing at its assembly and test facility. (courtesy of NSPO)

The Triton mission’s secondary objective is to build Taiwan’s “flight heritage” by delivering ten domestically designed and produced satellite components and technologies into space. (courtesy of NSPO)

NSPO'S capabilities have steadily advanced over the last 30 years, progressing from satellite integration testing to systems design and the ability to design and develop key satellite components.

International cooperation

A project on the scale of a satellite program is not an individual endeavor: it requires inter­national cooperation to come to fruition. Similarly, the data the satellite gathers isn’t private; it is provided to the whole world for weather forecasting, disaster response, and academic research. 

Lin mentions that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supported Triton’s development by sharing its experience with its own GNSS-R mission. The NOAA also promised to provide the use of its receiving station near the Arctic Circle in Alaska. “Triton will orbit the Earth 14 times per day, during which time it will make contact with the Alaska receiving station 14 times and the Taiwan station twice. This means we will be able to download scientific data roughly every 90 minutes.”

Taiwan’s Formosat-3 microsatellite constellation has been called “the most accurate thermo­meter in space.” When the European Centre for Medium-­Range Weather Forecasts analyzed data from ­Formosat-3 in 2012, it noted that although the constellation accounted for only 2–3% of the data used in weather forecasting, its 10% contribution to reducing forecasting errors ranked fifth among all data sources. Formosat-7 will continue Formosat-3’s mission by providing still greater quantities of even more accurate data to weather organizations and researchers around the world for use in forecasting and analyzing extreme and abnormal weather events, tropical cyclone formation and paths, and heavy rainfall. 

Optical remote-sensing satellites have their own particular capabilities. For example, the com­prehensive imaging provided by Formosat-2 provided useful data for analyzing the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot in 2009 and the Tōhoku Earthquake in 2011. In 2021, Formosat-5 helped inter­national disaster relief missions deliver assistance to victims by providing 319 images of the sites of 58 disasters, including an earthquake in West Sula­wesi, Indonesia; a pipeline explosion in Mexico; flooding in Tandag City, the Philippines; an eruption of Mt. Etna in Italy; flooding in Uttarakhand, India; flooding in Zhengzhou, China; the collapse of the Mingbakelu Bridge in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; flooding in Kumamoto, Japan; wildfires in California in the United States; flooding in Chennai, India; a severe storm in the Philippines; and flooding in Van­couver, Canada. 

Formosat-5's crystal-clear images have helped many international disaster relief efforts.

Since taking charge of the NSPO, rocket expert Wu Jong-shinn has been doing his utmost to establish Taiwan’s fledgling space industry and space economy.

One step at a time

Domestic rocket expert Wu Jong-shinn became director general of Taiwan’s 30-year-old National Space Organization in 2021. “After 30 years in the field, we are capable of designing systems and under­stand many of the ‘whys’ of design,” says Wu. 

He adds that although Taiwanese businesses are very good at making products that match clients’ specifications and requirements, they haven’t always been clear on why the specifications are what they are. Now that we’ve developed system-design skills, we better understand the reasons for design choices and can design and develop key satellite components for ourselves. 

Having gained the ability to manufacture key components, our next step is to build a “flight heri­tage,” meaning that these components and tech­nologies will have actually been tested in space, and proved to operate normally in that harsh environ­ment. Wu explains that since space missions typically cost hundreds of millions of NT dollars, nations are only willing to launch them if they have confidence in the reliability of the components used. Once Taiwan has its own flight heritage, it has a good chance of breaking into the inter­national space industry supply chain. Triton’s launch will demonstrate Taiwan’s ability to design and manu­facture ten key components and tech­nologies. Its successful operation in space will represent an opportunity for Taiwan’s space industry to join the inter­national supply chain and make headway in the international market. 

NSPO’s Satellite Operations Control Center. Formosat-7's weather data is provided to weather forecasting organizations and researchers around the world.

Taiwan is making steady progress towards fulfilling its dream of space.