Taiwan has bold plans for the development of its space technology with its third space program, although a proposal to develop launch rockets has been withdrawn due to US concerns.
Since the beginning of its first space program in 1991, the nation has launched five satellites in collaboration with the US: the experimental Formosat-1 in 1999, the remote sensing satellites Formosat-2 and Formosat-5 in 2004 and 2017, and the Formosat-3 and Formosat-7 constellations for gathering weather data in 2006 and on June 25 this year.
Nearly three decades of efforts came to fruition with Formosat-5, which is the nation’s first completely domestically developed satellite. It was on Aug. 25, 2017, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Science and Technology
The launch of the six-satellite Formosat-7 constellation — the biggest scientific collaboration between Taiwan and the US to collect weather data — on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida further fueled Taiwan’s aspirations for space technology.
The nation’s space development cannot continue with the “playful” experiments of the past 30 years, during which it launched only five satellites, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said on the sidelines of the celebrations following Formosat-7’s launch in Florida.
When preparing the blueprint for the nation’s third space program last year, he tried to convince an Executive Yuan review committee that the nation should launch a satellite every year over the next decade, he said.
However, the blueprint was considered “too aggressive” by the committee, which questioned whether there would be enough users for the satellites, Chen said.
Scientific proposals must be aggressive and instead of sticking to existing tools, the ministry is tasked with developing groundbreaking technologies and creating new demand, he said.
Launching satellites more frequently would also bond Taiwanese together, and allow local scientists and industrial manufacturers to acquire experience in a short time, Chen said.
It is crucial to learn from failures, which is a notion he acquired by observing the work of SpaceX, he said, adding that the ministry would sign a memorandum of understanding with the company to boost bilateral exchanges in the space industry and scientific experiments.
The third space program, which has been allocated a budget of NT$25.1 billion (US$805 million) from this year to 2028, focuses on developing high-resolution and ultra-high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites, as well as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, according to the ministry’s program description in January.
The ministry considered adding the development of launch rockets to the program, but later dropped the proposal due to certain problems, Chen said.
Soon after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in May 2016, a group of academics proposed creating a budget to develop launch rockets, a former government official told the Taipei Times on condition of anonymity.
However, after learning of the proposal, the US expressed “serious concerns,” the source said.
The US regards any plans by other nations to develop launch rockets as a potential attempt to build weapons, the source said, adding that the academics should not have sought a budget for affairs that fall under the purview of the institute and the military.
As the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has developed missiles for military use, the ministry would seek to collaborate with it when necessary, Chen said.
While the academics have shown an interest in developing launch rockets, it is better to keep academic research purposes simple, he said, adding that the ministry would help cultivate related talent in academia.
The ministry’s priority is to boost the development of satellite technology based on the semi-official National Space Organization’s (NSPO) expertise, he added.
However, the ministry also plans to enter new territories, such as lunar and outer space exploration, Chen said.
NSPO personnel can engineer satellites weighing more than 500kg and can help other countries design, assemble and test instruments under simulated space conditions, he said.
Besides its experience in manufacturing electronic components, Taiwan can offer know-how to foreign satellite developers, Chen said.
The non-profit Taiwan Space Industry Development Association, which was established in February with the NSPO’s lead, aims to boost collaboration between private and government sectors in space development, he added.
Institute president Gao Chung-hsing (杲中興) said in Florida that the US has been regulating Taiwan’s development of sensitive technology by limiting instrument and material orders, which he said is not necessarily a bad thing, as it drives the nation to develop its own technology.
For example, many components used in Israeli weapons are made by Taiwanese, and the institute also helped design and produce some instruments used by NASA, Gao said.
Regarding the ministry’s plan to build remote sensing and SAR satellites, Gao said the institute can help manufacture them, but it needs to meet stricter standards for component testing under simulated space conditions.
“Taiwan’s space technology is not bad. It is only that we have not used it to build an industry,” he said.
“Those who can integrate components and their control systems can dominate markets and trends,” which applies to the development of consumer electronics products, space instruments and munitions, Gao said.
Taiwan has individual satellites, but it cannot develop widely used systems, such as the US’ Global Positioning System or China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System, he said.
While many countries are developing microsatellites, whether Taiwan should follow the trend needs more deliberation, Gao said, adding that the nation needs a far-sighted plan to identify and promote its niche in the global space industry.
Taiwan’s space engineering has moved from purchasing instruments to autonomous development, while its space science — especially in ionospheric observations pertinent to weather, communication and defense applications — has grown from almost nothing to the one of the world’s leaders, National Central University Institute of Space Science professor Liu Jann-yenq (劉正彥) said.
Taiwanese scientists have developed software for processing satellite data and they detect bugs for their US partners, making a long-term Taiwan-US collaboration more balanced, he said.
However, Taiwan needs to take “mission definition” more seriously when developing new satellites, he said.
As NSPO chief scientist from 2012 to 2015, Liu was one of the key actors in defining the Formosat-5 and Formosat-7 missions.
The position of chief scientist has remained vacant since his resignation.
Although the third space program might be conducive for “technology demonstration,” its scientific missions are not clear, he said, adding that engineers appear to outnumber scientists in the organization.
NSPO Director-General Lin Chun-liang (林俊良), an expert on aeronautics and missiles, urged the government to allocate more resources to outer space exploration in addition to boosting industrial development.
The idea of space exploration is more appealing to young people and would help the organization recruit new talent, he said, but added that the plan’s technical thresholds would be far more demanding than satellite development.
Formosat-7’s seventh satellite, named Triton or the “Wind Hunter,” is equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry, and is scheduled to be launched in 2021, he said.
Apart from its connections with the US, the UK, France and Australia, the NSPO is also in talks with Luxembourg and Italy to develop low-orbit satellites and rocket launching, Lin added.
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