TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and Japan’s first jointly developed satellite “Onglaisat” was launched into space on Tuesday (Nov. 5), per the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA).

Onglaisat was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, TASA said in a press release. After the small cube satellite reaches the International Space Station (ISS), it will be ejected into a 410-km low Earth orbit to begin its test mission.

TASA said Onglaisat’s six-month mission is to verify its newly developed remote sensing system. The satellite will also test high-resolution data collection and image compression technologies, which TASA developed with the Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI). 

The University of Tokyo’s Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL) designed and manufactured the satellite body and arranged its launch and control. The university will also serve as a backup operation ground station.

Project leader Chan Chen-yu (詹鎮宇) said the spatial resolution achieved by Onglaisat’s satellite imagery is 2.8 meters. Chan said this surpasses most commercial imagery of the same class satellites, which falls between 5 and 6-meter resolutions. 

Noting the significance of the satellite’s name, Chan said "Onglai” means "prosperity" and "pineapple" in Taiwanese. The name was chosen in 2021 when China banned Taiwan’s pineapple exports, and Japan supported Taiwan’s economy by purchasing large quantities.

Chan said the Japanese government’s actions moved the Taiwanese people. He said the name represents the friendship between Taipei and Tokyo and symbolizes aspirations for future joint space efforts.