A Formosat 7/Cosmic 2 satellite. Photo: SSTL

[Via Satellite 05-04-2015] Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has transported the first of six Formosat 7 weather forecasting spacecraft to Taiwan. Designed and assembled in the U.K., the satellite successfully passed a series of systems checks in Taiwan with the National Space Organization (NSPO).

The Formosat 7/Cosmic 2 constellation is a joint civil mission between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), represented by NSPO, and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), represented by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is building the payloads for the satellites, which will be integrated and tested in Taiwan.

“SSTL is continuing to work on the assembly of an additional five platforms for the constellation at our cleanrooms here in the U.K. and at the NSPO site in Taiwan, where our engineers are involved in the next phase of payload integration and testing, so it’s an extremely busy phase in the mission for the collaborative team,” said Luis Gomes, director of Earth observation at SSTL.