Formosat-1 (福爾摩沙衛星一號, formerly known as ROCSAT-1) is an Earth observation satellite operated by the National Space Program Office (NSPO, now the National Space Organization) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to conduct observations of the ionosphere and oceans. The spacecraft and its instrumentation were developed jointly by NSPO and TRW using TRW's Lightsat bus, and was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, US, by Lockheed Martin on January 27, 1999. FormoSat-1 provided 5½ years of operational service. The spacecraft ended its mission on June 17, 2004 and was decommissioned on July 16, 2004. Technical details Spacecraft Weight: 401 kg Shape: Hexagonal Dimensions Height: 2.1 m Diameter: 1.1 m Solar arrays: Two, 1.16 x 2.46 m Electrical power: 450 watts Instrumentation Experimental Communication Payload (ECP) Ionosphere Plasma Electrodynamics Instrument (IPEI) Ocean Color Imager (OCI) Orbit Altitude: 600 km Type: Circular Inclination: 35 degrees See also FORMOSAT-2 FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC References External links ROCSAT-1 at GlobalSecurity Earth observation satellites of Taiwan Spacecraft launched in 1999 First artificial satellites of a country