Payload for Taiwan's 1st B5G LEO satellite to be made by U.S. company

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) The main communications payload for Taiwan's first "Beyond 5G" (B5G) low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite will be provided by U.S. aerospace company CesiumAstro, according to a bid decision released Tuesday.

According to the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), the roughly 400-kilogram satellite, named 1A, will be launched in 2027 and will orbit at an altitude of about 600 kilometers.

TASA said its experimental satellite program represents a step toward establishing Taiwan's own autonomous satellite communications network.

TASA allocated a budget of NT$880 million (US$36.5 million) for the first satellite's communications payload, according to the tender notice.

CesiumAstro, a U.S. aerospace and defense company founded in 2017 that has worked with clients including NASA, won the bid offered in August last year.

The Taoyuan-based Quanta Computer Inc. invested US$15 million in CesiumAstro last year, the company reported.

The first two experimental satellites in the B5G LEO program will conduct tests with applications in backup data communications, environmental monitoring, disaster prevention and maritime communications, according to TASA.