Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg

Col. Gregory E. Wood, 30th Space Wing vice commander, was the launch safety authority.

"The 30th Space Wing takes great pride in supporting another successful SpaceX launch," said Wood. "It is a sterling example of the wing's commitment to public safety and mission success on the Western Range."

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket delivers FORMOSAT-5, an Earth observation satellite for Taiwan's National Space Organization, to a low-Earth orbit.

"The Falcon 9 launch of Formosat-5 was an incredible mission to be a part of! This was the first satellite manufactured and integrated entirely by Taiwan and it was also the fastest turn-around time between Falcon launches here at Space Launch Complex-4," said Capt. Kylie Prachar, Air Force Launch Commander for F9-40 Formosat-5 mission, 1st Air and Space Test Squadron.

"Our Air Force team put in a lot of work to support the mission and provide Fleet Surveillance on behalf of the Space and Missile Systems Center."

FORMOSAT-5 will operate in a sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of 720-km with a 98.28 degree inclination angle.

As with the FORMOSAT-2 satellite, the primary payload on FORMOSAT-5 is an optical Remote Sensing Instrument (RSI), which provides 2-meter resolution panchromatic (black and white) and 4-meter resolution multi-spectral (color) images. FORMOSAT-5 also hosts a secondary scientific payload, an Advanced Ionospheric Probe, developed by Taiwan's National Central University.