Japanese startup ArkEdge Space announced that an observation satellite it co-developed for Taiwan’s space agency has produced what may be the highest-quality Earth images ever taken by a spacecraft of its size.
The compact optical observation satellite, ONGLAISAT, successfully captured 2.5-meter resolution images after entering orbit approximately 400 km above Earth in December, the company stated.
Takayoshi Fukuyo, CEO of ArkEdge and leader of the ONGLAISAT mission, highlighted the satellite’s remarkable performance during a recent media briefing. “The pictures are as clear as aerial photography, despite being taken by a satellite of this size,” he said, adding that it is likely the highest-resolution image ever obtained by a small cubesat.
ArkEdge released black-and-white images captured by ONGLAISAT late last month, showcasing detailed views of landscapes, trees, and buildings in locations such as a Seattle suburb and Argentina’s Patagonia.
The ONGLAISAT satellite—short for “onboard globe-looking and imaging satellite”—features optical equipment from the Taiwan Space Agency mounted on a cubesat roughly the size of a desktop computer. It was jointly developed by ArkEdge and an aerospace laboratory at the University of Tokyo.
ONGLAISAT is set to complete its mission in early March, but the optical technology it showcased will be utilized in future remote sensing satellite projects, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Amid rising tensions with China, Taiwan is accelerating efforts to strengthen its space infrastructure, focusing on areas such as Earth observation and communication. This includes the launch of a domestically developed weather satellite in 2023 and ongoing discussions with Amazon regarding its Kuiper satellite internet service.
Taiwan’s expanding space program has also strengthened its collaboration with commercial space companies in Japan, a neighboring country and key U.S. ally.
Last year, TASA announced partnerships with several Japanese space startups, including Space One, to which it provided a satellite payload for the failed second test of the Kairos small rocket. It also partnered with lunar exploration firm ispace.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese private company TiSpace, founded by a former TASA official, plans to test its rocket at a private launch pad in northern Japan early this year.
