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| FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 | |
|---|---|
| Name | FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
| Operator | National Space Organization; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| COSPAR ID | Multiple |
| Spacecraft bus | Microsatellite |
| Manufacturer | National Space Organization; U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory |
| Launch date | 2019 |
| Launch vehicle | Falcon Heavy |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center |
| Orbit type | Low Earth orbit |
FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 is a constellation of microsatellites developed to perform radio occultation sounding for global atmospheric and ionospheric profiling, supporting weather prediction and space weather research. The program involves collaboration among Taiwanese, American, and international agencies to provide high-resolution measurements for numerical weather prediction, climate monitoring, and geospace science. The mission builds upon prior microwave and occultation missions to produce dense, vertically resolved atmospheric soundings and ionospheric electron density profiles.
The mission objective centers on global atmospheric sounding and ionospheric monitoring using the radio occultation technique, linking to operational forecasting centers such as European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and National Weather Service while interfacing with research institutes including National Center for Atmospheric Research and Naval Research Laboratory. The constellation design sought to increase data coverage over predecessors like COSMIC-1 and complement satellite platforms from MetOp and JPSS to improve medium-range forecast skill reported by agencies such as World Meteorological Organization. Stakeholders included the NSPO, NOAA, U.S. Air Force, and academic partners like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and National Taiwan University.
Each microsatellite employed a compact bus derived from NSPO heritage designs and avionics tested by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and industrial contractors like Lockheed Martin and Ball Aerospace. Main payloads comprised a Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation receiver tracking signals from constellations such as Global Positioning System, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou to derive refractivity, temperature, and humidity profiles, while ionospheric instruments measured total electron content referencing standards from International Telecommunication Union studies. Auxiliary systems included precision timing provided by technologies vetted by National Institute of Standards and Technology, attitude control influenced by work at California Institute of Technology, and telemetry handled through ground stations allied with European Space Agency networks.
The primary launch used a heavy-lift vehicle operated from Kennedy Space Center with deployment sequences coordinated between launch providers and mission integration teams from NSPO and NOAA, echoing logistical frameworks established during missions like GOES-R and Himawari-8. Orbital insertion targeted low Earth orbit shells optimized for occultation geometry, following deployment strategies comparable to those used by Iridium NEXT and Planet Labs constellations, with phase spacing and plane alignment planned in consultation with United States Space Force tracking and collision-avoidance protocols.
Operational control utilized ground segments and mission operations centers run by NSPO and NOAA, passing processed radio occultation data into assimilation systems at centers including ECMWF, U.S. Navy forecasting units, and regional centers such as Central Weather Bureau (Taiwan). Data products encompassed bending angle, refractivity, temperature, pressure, geopotential height, and ionospheric electron density profiles formatted for assimilation under standards promoted by World Meteorological Organization and archived in repositories used by National Centers for Environmental Prediction and European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Real-time and near-real-time streams supported operational models run by National Hurricane Center and Joint Typhoon Warning Center as well as research analyses at institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 data enhanced numerical weather prediction improvements demonstrated in studies by ECMWF and NCEP, contributing to improved forecasts of phenomena monitored by National Hurricane Center, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, and regional agencies such as Central Weather Bureau (Taiwan). The ionospheric measurements informed space weather research relevant to NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center operations and studies of scintillation affecting systems used by Federal Aviation Administration and international aviation authorities. Climate and reanalysis projects at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and NOAA ESRL leveraged the long-term radio occultation record for trend detection consistent with analyses from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change datasets.
The program traces lineage to cooperative efforts like COSMIC-1 and partnerships modeled on international missions involving Taiwan, United States Department of Defense, and civilian agencies including NOAA, mirroring collaborative frameworks seen in projects such as Sentinel and Arctic Environmental Satellite initiatives. Funding, data sharing, and operations involved memoranda and agreements among agencies comparable to accords between European Commission programs and national agencies, with scientific collaboration spanning universities including National Taiwan University, Cornell University, and University of Colorado Boulder.
As a successor to earlier radio occultation constellations, the mission established best practices for dense LEO sounder deployments, influencing designs of future systems by entities like Planet Labs, Spire Global, and national agencies planning next-generation occultation and remote sensing satellites. The data legacy supports assimilation, climate monitoring, and space weather forecasting used by centers such as ECMWF and NOAA, and informs proposals for expanded constellations coordinated with international frameworks including the World Meteorological Organization and multinational research programs. Category:Earth observation satellites