Taiwan-made PARUS-T1 CubeSat launched into space orbit: Space agency

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) A CubeSat designed and made by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) was launched early Wednesday morning (Taiwan time), carried by a SpaceX Transporter-12 rocket launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the United States, TASA said in a news release.

TASA said the satellite, PARUS-T1, was launched at 3:09 a.m. and positioned in Low-Earth Orbit at an altitude of 515 kilometers.

After 30 minutes in orbit, it opened its satellite dish and solar panel, successfully connecting with a TASA earth station at 11:05 a.m., the agency said.

Cube satellites, or CubeSats, are miniaturized satellites made up of multiple cubic modules measuring 10 cubic centimeters and weighing 1.3 kilograms.

The PARUS-T1 was made, assembled and tested by TASA, and carried an experimental communication payload.

After the launch, the control center will continue to monitor the satellite and test whether its subsystems are functioning as intended, TASA said.

If the satellite body remains stable, it will proceed with tests relating to the autonomous identification systems of ship traffic, as well as launch and test its payload, TASA said, noting that the CubeSat was designed for a mission lasting at least 12 months.

TASA said the purpose of the launch is to inspect the agency's ability to design and make CubeSats bodies.

After passing tests in space, the PARUS-T1 project will provide the academic and industrial sectors with a standardized CubeSat platform. This will help shorten research and development timelines and enhance Taiwan's competitiveness in the international space industry, TASA said.

Project leader Tseng Chien-kai (曾建凱) said the project was named after Taiwan's indigenous bird Sittiparus castaneoventris, or chestnut-bellied tit, with hopes domestically-made satellite bodies can fly into the sky like the small agile bird.

The first PARUS satellite T1A was scheduled for launch in December 2024 on a Space One rocket. Unfortunately, the plan was unsuccessful as the rocket was unable to position it in orbit, according to TASA.