28254 - FORMOSAT-2

ROCSAT 2 is a Taiwanese (ROC) remote sensing satellite that was launched from Vandenberg AFB by a Taurus XL rocket at 17:47 UT on 2004 May 19. The 750-kg satellite carries imaging instruments to take pictures of crop yields in Taiwan, natural disasters, and oil spills on land and ocean, and to image high-altitude red lightning strokes called sprites. Initial orbital parameters were period 100.1 min, apogee 767 km, perigee 764 km, and inclination 99.1 deg.

Alternate Names

Formosat-2

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2004-05-19
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL
Launch Site: Vandenberg AFB, United States