"Data gathered by the ROCSAT-2 can be used on different fields ... including military," said Chen Cheng-hsing, who oversees the satellite program.

He said the satellite is designed to transmit high-resolution photos of areas as small as two meters.

Staff at Taiwan's National Space Program Office (NSPO) were busy packing the satellite, dubbed "ROCSAT-2," for transport Monday to the United States for launch.

The 750 kilogram (1,650 pound) satellite, made by Astrium of France and assembled here, will undergo a series of tests before it is launched in Vandenburg Airbase, California, on January 17, an NSPO official said.

Military analysts said that without a fully-controlled spy satellite, Taiwan could hardly establish a functional anti-missile system while rival China increases the deployment of ballistic missiles targeting the island.

But according to the NSPO, the satellite's primary objective is to monitor Taiwan's landmass and surrounding waters, as well as study atmospheric conditions.

The satellite, with a life span of five years, will be placed in a 890 kilometer (480 nautical mile) high orbit. The total cost for the project is 4.7 billion Taiwan dollars (1.18 billion US).

Taiwan in October 1991 launched a 15-year space program at an estimated cost of 19.6 billion dollars (576.47 million US).

Its first fully-owned science satellite ROCSAT-1 went into orbit from the United States in January 1999. Taiwan hopes to put into orbit six micro-satellites weighing about 40 kilograms (85 pounds) each.

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