The Ministry of Science and Technology’s third space technology program for the next decade was approved yesterday, devoting NT$25.1 billion (US$814.41 million) to cultivating more talent and cutting-edge technologies.
It was the first official document approved by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) since he took office on Monday, he said in a video posted on Facebook showing him signing the document, adding that the government would safeguard the nation with new space technology.
From now until 2028, the program would focus on developing high-resolution and ultra-high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites, the ministry said.
The satellites would have better resolutions than Formosat-5, the nation’s first domestically developed satellite, launched in 2017, which has a resolution of 2m for black-and-white images, it said.
They would monitor national security and environmental changes, as well as collect land surveying data, it said.
Another focus would be synthetic aperture radar satellites, which can emit electromagnetic waves to target objects and collect returning waves without being affected by weather, it said, adding that such satellites are useful for assessing the scope of deforestation and natural disasters.
The ministry has proposed launching one satellite per year over the next 10 years, but instead of focusing only on the number, improving techniques would be emphasized, Department of Foresight and Innovation Policies Director-General Yang Hsiu-ya (楊琇雅) said.
Former premier William Lai (賴清德) last year secured initial funding for pilot projects, even though the Executive Yuan just finished reviewing the third space program yesterday, Yang said.
The nation’s first space program ran from 1991 to 2006 with a budget of NT$19.7 billion, during which time it launched Formosat-1, Formosat-2 and Formosat-3 and laid essential foundations for space technology, the Executive Yuan said.
The second program from 2004 to last year was allocated a budget of NT$25.9 billion with an aim to boost cooperation with the space industry and become more autonomous in developing satellites, it said.
Formosat-7, a constellation of six satellites developed by Taiwan and the US, is to be launched later this year by the US firm SpaceX, National Applied Research Laboratories president Wang Yeong-her (王永和) said yesterday, adding that it is still waiting for notice from the US Air Force about the launch schedule.
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