Taiwan's first self-made weather satellite Wind-Hunter has completed its last function test on Friday. The satellite will be delivered to French Guiana, South America for launch in March next year.
The Taiwan National Space Center of the National Experimental Research Institute says the test confirms the satellite has passed all space environment simulations. The launch will verify the manufacturing capabilities of Taiwan's satellites.
The space center says they will hold a meeting in early January to review all test results and launch details. The Wind-Hunter will begin preparation and will travel to French Guiana for the launch once it passes the review.
The Wind-Hunter satellite’s main task is to observe the sea surface wind field. It will also verify multiple key components developed in Taiwan. That includes verifying the Global Navigation Satellite System Reflection Receiver" (GNSS-R) designed and manufactured by the Taiwan space center itself.
The Wind-Hunter’s payload and successful launch will confirm that Taiwan has the capability to develop meteorological satellites in addition to GPS telemetry satellites.
