Dec. 1, 2003, Taipei, Taiwan- The National Science Council (NSC) of Republic of China has chosen China Airlines to ship the nation!|s second satellite !]ROC SAT-2!^from Taipei to Los Angeles and through land transportation to Vandenberg Launching Base for launching. This is the second time that NSC chose China Airlines to ship its satellite. The first satellite ROC SAT-1 was shipped successfully to the US by China Airlines in 1998.

China Airlines special Boeing 747-400 freighter with flight number CI318 will take off from Taipei at 2:10 on December 2 and land in Los Angeles at 21:30 on December 1 local time. The satellite itself weights 3000 kilogram and totals 14,295 kilogram in weight with peripheral equipment. In order to assure error-free execution of this extraordinary mission, China Airlines sent specialists to NSC!|s space project office in packing up the satellite and its peripheral equipment on November 26 and 27.

The length, width and height of the satellite are all 118 inches. After loaded onto the pallet, the height will reach 120.5 inches, close to the maximum height. Therefore, special care will be taken to prevent vibration. China Airlines will use a 20-inch pallet measuring 238x96 inches and 8 normal pallets measuring 125x96 inches to carry the satellite and its peripheral equipment. The peripheral equipment was transported to Taoyuan International Airport on November 28, while the satellite will be delivered at 11:30 from space project office and arrive at Taoyuan International Airport at 14:00. China Airlines will take special cares to insure shipping safety, special handling, moisture and temperature control and security. The NSC will also send 2 French engineers and 1 Taiwanese engineer to accompany the satellite on its trip.

China Airlines cargo department has abundant experience at transporting special cargo from delicate instruments and priceless artworks to massive pieces of machinery and live animals. That experience, plus careful planning and all-out coordination, ensured the successful completion of the satellite transport mission. China Airlines rapidly upgrades its cargo operations in recent years. Its fleet now consists of 59 aircraft, including 14 B747-400 freighters, making it the largest B747-400 cargo fleet in the world. According to statistics released by International Air Transport Association (IATA), China Airlines ranked 7th in terms of international air cargo traffic volume.