The bus of FORMOSAT-1 satellite was jointly designed and constructed through collaboration between the US TRW company and Taiwan in June 1994. In order to ensure the success of the satellite mission as well as to develop our capability in satellite design, manufacture, assembly and testing, National Space Organization (NSPO) sent 28 selected staff members to TRW for training sessions, hands-on participation in the development, design, manufacturing, integration, testing and management process. At the same time, another 28 persons at NSPO correspondingly absorbed the experiences and information gained by these 28 members at the TRW by duplicating the learning material.

The construction of "FORMOSAT-1" bus was completed at the beginning of 1997. After completion of a series of testing, it was delivered to the integration and testing facility of NSPO in May of the same year for system integration and testing with other three scientific payloads. On January 27, 1999, FORMOSAT-1 was launched successfully into the designated orbit

Payloads on Formosat 1:
   • Ocean Color Imager (OCI)
   • Ionosphere Plasma and Electrodynamics Instrument (IPEI)
   • Experimental Communication Payload (ECP)