Taiwan's third satellite was launched into orbit April 15 just after 9:30 a.m. Taiwan time from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The mission is a joint project between Taiwan and the United States and involves six micro satellites lifted into orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth by a Minotaur rocket.

Once deployed, the six micro satellites will each assume predetermined orbital altitudes, which range from about 700 kilometers to 800 kilometers above the Earth's surface, over the next 13 months.

The launch did not come without delay, however. Seven hours before the originally scheduled blastoff, launch control considered postponing due to predictions of a storm in California, but ultimately decided it would not pose a threat. Just 90 seconds before liftoff, a problem was detected in a pressure sensor in the first stage of the four-stage rocket and the launch was delayed. The problem was fixed in time for a second try, and the rocket blasted off 90 minutes later than scheduled.

While the satellite array is known as FORMOSAT-3 in Taiwan, it is called COSMIC in the United States, for Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate. Its objective is real-time monitoring of the atmosphere by receiving signals transmitted by 24 U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites through the atmosphere and taking 2,500 measurements every 24 hours around the globe. The information will be updated every 100 minutes once the satellites began their work. The micro satellites will make weather forecasting more precise, especially regarding typhoons, according to the ROC National Space Organisation (NSPO).

The US$100 million mission was funded by Taiwan and several U.S. agencies and was co-developed by the NSPO in Hsinchu and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. The mission will form a constellation of low-orbiting satellites that meteorologists believe will improve their ability to forecast weather patterns through its ability to monitor both poles and the immense oceans.

In addition to monitoring atmospheric conditions and gathering information for research on long-term climate change, the mission also has the objective of real-time measurement of ionospheric conditions and collecting data on gravity, according to mission designers.

It was reported that each of the meter-wide, 62-kilogram satellites is equipped with a GPS receiver, a photometer and a beacon to relay telemetry to a ground station on Earth. They are also able to predict geomagnetic storms in the ionosphere that can disrupt satellite and communication systems on Earth.

Lance Wu, director general of the NSPO, said that in the following week, the scientists would closely watch the satellites and their equipment, and that if everything goes right, they will be able to download the first batch of meteorological information by June.

While the FORMOSAT-3 project has allowed local corporations to take part in the development of the local aerospace industry by supplying satellite components and other high-tech equipment, according to one official with the ROC National Science Council, Taiwan has still a long way to go before it establishes a self-reliant satellite technology.

The satellite array is the third Taiwanese satellite orbiting the planet. ROCSAT-1--later renamed FORMOSAT-1--was also a joint project between the United States and Taiwan. It was launched into orbit in early 1999 to collect and transmit data for use by oceanographers. It reached the end of its mission and was effectively retired in 2004. ROCSAT-2 was likewise retroactively renamed FORMOSAT-2. It went operational in May 2004 to provide near real-time images to monitor Taiwan's natural environment and assess the damage caused by natural disasters. It was also a cooperative effort between Taiwan and the United States. There are plans for a fourth satellite to be launched in 2012.

Some Taiwanese scientists have questioned the wisdom of taking such baby-steps in the development of the aerospace industry by conservatively relying on foreign help. According to Wu, while Taiwan has about 70 percent of the capability to produce and control satellites, the specific skills and large sums of money required to launch satellites are so far beyond the nation's ability to handle alone.

Aerospace experts have urged the government's policy-makers to increase funding for local research with the aim of developing a domestic satellite program, rather than relying on skills from abroad, it was reported.

The ultimate goal of Taiwan's space program is for the nation to build satellites entirely by itself, without having to rely on the United States. According to the NSPO, there are plans for a new satellite, completely made in Taiwan, called ARGO, which would arguably be the NSPO's first solo effort. The NSPO has completed the system design review stage. Its mission would be to take images and collect information to be used in analysis and evaluation of natural resources. Once completed, it will be part of the German-run RapidEye satellite constellation.