The first year of Taiwan's space era takes off as the country's first independently manufactured meteorological satellite, TRITON (FORMOSAT-7R), built by NARLabs' National Space Organization (NSPO) under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), is ready to enter its final, full-function testing phase. On Nov. 7, Executive Yuan Premier Su Tseng-chang visited NSPO and commended staff for their hard work. Premier Su stated that the government fully supports the space industry and expects the TRITON satellite to become a bellwether, leading the industry to the stars.

Premier Su also stated that the government attaches great importance to the development of space technology and industry, and that the first official document he approved after taking office in 2019 was the third phase of the National Space Science and Technology Development Long-term Plan. The Space Development Act was later passed by the Legislative Yuan on May 31, 2021 and formally implemented on Jan. 20, 2022. The act has made known the guiding principles for space development in Taiwan, including respect for international conventions and related regulations, environmental protection and sustainable development, as well as promoting space science and cultivating talent. The act also sets NSTC as the competent authority, which shall work with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other relevant bodies to promote the robust development of the space industry in Taiwan. Furthermore, the investigation of space accidents shall be the responsibility of the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board.

Premier Su emphasized that the global space economy is on the rise, with Space X rocket recovery technology and the Starlink program acting as catalysts. Taiwan stands in a relatively advantageous position in terms of satellite technology thanks to 30 years of experience in satellite development and a mature and flexible civil sector. The government will provide full support to lead Taiwan's industrial sector into the global industry chain, building another "sacred mountain" to protect the nation. As Taiwan's space industry is on the cusp of advancing to the international scene, the government expects that the successful launch and mission execution of TRITON will lead the way for the industry.

NSTC Minister Wu Tsung-tsong stated that TRITON inherited much from FORMOSAT-5 and was 82% independently manufactured, a higher rate than its predecessor. After liftoff, 10 key components and technologies developed in Taiwan will also be able to be tested and verified. In addition to its meteorological observation mission, the satellite also has a mission to obtain the "flight CVs" of various space technologies, which will further allow it to become the bellwether of Taiwan's space industry chain as it enters the international arena.

NSPO Director General Wu Jong-shinn explained that TRITON, a wind observation satellite, was originally part of the FORMOSAT-7 project as an independent satellite named FORMOSAT-7R, but was later renamed TRITON after adjustments were made to the mission. TRITON's mission payload is the Taiwan-made Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) module. It collects global navigation satellite signals reflected off the sea surface in low Earth orbit and uses the physical characteristics of the signals to calculate sea surface wind speed, which is expected to serve as key data for more accurate typhoon forecasting.

The preliminary design of the TRITON satellite was completed in 2014, key design was completed in 2015, and assembly began in 2017. After assembly was completed in July of this year, testing of the satellite began. Various dynamic tests have already been completed, and TRITON is now entering the final phase of testing to confirm that all functions are in order, which is expected to be completed by the end of November. After it passes a pre-delivery review meeting in early January 2023, it will be shipped to French Guiana in South America at the end of January and launched on French company Arianespace's VEGA C rocket in March.