An Advanced Ionospheric Probe (AIP), developed by the National Central University (NCU), was presented at press conference on January 27, 2015.  As a secondary payload of FORMOSAT-5, AIP will provide the highest spatial resolution of ionospheric parameters in the world and also benefit the forecast of earthquake research and space weather monitoring.

AIP is an all-in-one plasma sensor with the sampling rate up to 8,192 Hz to measure ionospheric plasma concentrations, velocities, temperatures, and ambient magnetic fields over a wide range of spatial scales.  With the comprehensive data set available from the AIP, scientists are able to conduct a systematic examination of the longitudinal, latitudinal, and seasonal variations in the topside F region plasma parameters.  The data can be used not only for space science studies but also for predicting the seismic precursors associated with strong earthquakes and co-seismic effects.

AIP is the first domestically made science payload to be flown with FORMOSAT-5. AIP has been fully qualified by NSPO for space mission which marks an important milestone for space science development in Taiwan.