Taiwanese antenna design and radio frequency testing manufacturer Rapidtek Technologies Inc (鐳洋科技) on Tuesday announced the opening of a space industry research and development (R&D) center as it moves into the domestic CubeSat market.
“Local firms are competitive in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards, satellite antennas and space industry components, and major companies in the US and Europe are keen to establish partnerships with their Taiwanese counterparts,” Rapidtek chairman Arthur Wang (王奕翔) told a news conference in Taoyuan.
Wang said he hopes that the opening of an integration and testing laboratory in conjunction with National Central University (NCU) at the space R&D center can enhance cooperation in the domestic CubeSat industry.
Photo: CNA
Rapidtek in 2021 formed an alliance with Gold Circuit Electronics Ltd (金像電子), Alpha Networks Inc (明泰科技) and Taiwan Union Technology Corp (台燿科技) to attract foreign orders.
Established in 2006, Rapidtek was selected late last year by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) to implement the flagship CubeSat Project and Rad-Hard Components Project, which enabled the New Taipei City-based firm to lead an affiliated 3U Communication CubeSat Development Project.
A 3U communication CubeSat uses a low orbit to facilitate voice communication.
CubeSats are small, box-shaped satellites weighing about 1kg, mainly launched into low orbits to observe the planet, test new communications technology or perform simple experiments.
“Space technologies have increasingly become important [to everyday life], evidenced by upcoming 6G networks and the growing popularity of low Earth orbit satellites,” NCU president Jou Jing-yang (周景揚) told the news conference.
“Space science is one of the prime study areas at NCU, and we hope to improve Taiwan’s R&D capability in the field and increase the number of domestically built CubeSats launched,” Jou said.
NCU’s Department of Space Science and Engineering director Chao Chi-kuang (趙吉光) said Taiwan needs to cultivate its strength in the field as satellite launches become cheaper.
CubeSats are less expensive to make in Taiwan, costing about NT$20 million (US$657,787) plus a launch service fee of up to NT$9 million, Chao said.
Low Earth orbit satellites are having a large effect on the global space industry while attracting new business opportunities, TASA Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jeng (余憲政) said.
Several large foreign companies have sought Taiwanese partners through TASA, Yu added.
TASA was formerly known as the National Space Organization before this year.
The global CubeSat market was valued at US$210.1 million in 2019, and is projected to reach US$491 million by 2027, a compound annual growth rate of 15.1 percent, an Allied Market Research report said.
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