Taiwan's Micro Satellite Shows World-Class Optical Capabilities

JAKARTA Japanese Startup ArkEdge Space revealed that the satellite observations they helped develop for Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) have succeeded in capturing the best quality Earth image in the world for small satellites.

This small observational optical satellite called ONGLAISAT was able to take images with a resolution of 2.5 meters after being released into orbit about 400 km above Earth's surface last December, according to ArkEdge's statement on Friday 7 February.

"The image produced is as sharp as aerial photos, although taken from the smallest satellite," Takayoshi Fukuyo, CEO of ArkEdge, said at a press conference earlier this week. He added that this may be the highest resolution image ever taken by a small 'cubesat' satellite.

High Quality Satellite Image

ArkEdge released black-and-white images showing views of land, trees and buildings in various locations, including the suburbs of Seattle in the United States and the Patagonia region in Argentina.

This satellite is designed with advanced optics from TASA, which is mounted on a mini-size satellite the size of a desktop computer. This device is the result of a collaboration between ArkEdge and the Tokyo University Smart Space System Laboratory.

According to TASA's statement on Wednesday, February 5, the ONGLAISAT mission will end in early March, but the optical technology that has been tested will be implemented on the next remote sensing mission.

In dealing with geopolitical tensions with China, Taiwan continues to strengthen its infrastructure in the space sector, from Earth observations to satellite communications.

In 2023, Taiwan has launched its own weather satellite and is in discussions with Amazon to use the Kuiper satellite internet service.

In addition, Taiwan's cooperation with the Japanese space company is getting closer. Last year, TASA partnered with several Japanese startups such as Space One and ispace, which focused on lunar exploration.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese private company TiSpace, founded by former TASA officials, plans to pilot its rockets on a private launch pad in northern Japan this year.

The success of ONGLAISAT emphasized the great potential for cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the space sector and opened new opportunities for the development of satellite technology in the future.