Session
Technical Session VII: The Year in Review
Abstract
The FORMOSAT-3 mission, also known as COSMIC, Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate, is the third major project of the FORMOSAT series implemented by the National SPace Organization (NSPO) in Taiwan. This is a collaborative effort between NSPO and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in the US. The six satellites were launched by a single Minotaur launch vehicle on April 15, 2006. The retrieved Radio Occultation (RO) data has been published on line since shortly after the satellite in-orbit check out. Having completed verification and validation, the science community is satisfied with the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC data and calls it the most accurate, precise, and stable thermometer in space for measuring global and regional climate change. These fruitful mission results were obtained by continuous efforts of the mission team. The current constellation configuration as of May 2007 is four satellites (FM5, FM2, FM6, and FM4) having been successfully raised to the 800 km mission orbit with the remaining two (FM3 and FM1) operating at the 518 km lower parking orbit. In this paper, we will address the mission status and the technical challenges we have encountered, and how NSPO derived the corrective actions to maintain the scientific instruments operations and enhance the satellite operations. All six spacecrafts have generated a total of more than 2,500 RO data per day, however, only 50%~70% of the RO data received today could be retrieved into useful atmosphere profiles. The retrieved RO data (~ 1,700 + per day on the average as is in May 2007) were introduced into the assimilation processes by many major weather forecast centers and research institutes even in the current constellation configuration. The paper will also describe how to enhance the RO data volume and to reduce the data latency by optimizing the satellite pass scheduling and the ground station coverage. The implementation results will be described in the paper, too.
Presentation Slides
The Most Accurate and Stable Space-Borne Thermometers –FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC Constellation
The FORMOSAT-3 mission, also known as COSMIC, Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate, is the third major project of the FORMOSAT series implemented by the National SPace Organization (NSPO) in Taiwan. This is a collaborative effort between NSPO and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in the US. The six satellites were launched by a single Minotaur launch vehicle on April 15, 2006. The retrieved Radio Occultation (RO) data has been published on line since shortly after the satellite in-orbit check out. Having completed verification and validation, the science community is satisfied with the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC data and calls it the most accurate, precise, and stable thermometer in space for measuring global and regional climate change. These fruitful mission results were obtained by continuous efforts of the mission team. The current constellation configuration as of May 2007 is four satellites (FM5, FM2, FM6, and FM4) having been successfully raised to the 800 km mission orbit with the remaining two (FM3 and FM1) operating at the 518 km lower parking orbit. In this paper, we will address the mission status and the technical challenges we have encountered, and how NSPO derived the corrective actions to maintain the scientific instruments operations and enhance the satellite operations. All six spacecrafts have generated a total of more than 2,500 RO data per day, however, only 50%~70% of the RO data received today could be retrieved into useful atmosphere profiles. The retrieved RO data (~ 1,700 + per day on the average as is in May 2007) were introduced into the assimilation processes by many major weather forecast centers and research institutes even in the current constellation configuration. The paper will also describe how to enhance the RO data volume and to reduce the data latency by optimizing the satellite pass scheduling and the ground station coverage. The implementation results will be described in the paper, too.
