Fifth Taiwanese satellite flown with China Airlines
For the fifth time, China Airlines recently transported a Taiwanese national satellite to the US. A B747-400F assisted the National Space Organization (NSPO) with flying the Formosat-7 to Miami, from where it will be transferred to the Kennedy Space Center for launch.
China Airlines has assisted national satellite transport missions for the past 20 years, ever since the transportation of Formosat-1. The main body and components of the weather satellite weigh over 15 t and were packed into nine pallets to ensure maximum shock protection.
The flight plan avoided all known turbulence. Temperature was maintained at 20°C throughout the journey with shock-absorbing padding to be used during loading/unloading to minimise the amount of vibration experienced by the satellite. (ah)