REDONDO BEACH, Calif., March 18 -- The Republic of China's first satellite, ROCSAT-1, has begun sending images back to Earth. Launched into a 600-kilometer low-Earth orbit on Jan. 26, the 880-pound lightweight satellite contains three science instruments -- an ocean color imager, space physics instrument and telecommunications experiment. The satellite was jointly developed by TRW Inc. and the Republic's National Space Program Office.
A TRW spokesman reported that ROCSAT was sending data from the ocean color imager that will help to determine the presence of photoplankton, ocean current boundaries, pollution, and outfall from rivers. This information will help determine the utility of remote sensing data for the fishing industry, which is critical to Taiwan's economy.