Taiwan is stepping up its efforts to tap into the global aerospace market, with a focus on developing a specific kind of satellite, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said on July 6.
The development of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are particularly worth pursuing for Taiwan, Wu said in an interview with the Central News Agency, referring to orbits with a maximum altitude of 2,000km.
“It is an opportunity Taiwan definitely cannot afford to miss,” Wu said.
Photo: CNA
Such satellites, which are often deployed in constellations, have a relatively short life cycle of two to four years compared with larger ones and therefore offer more of an opportunity for Taiwanese businesses, he said.
LEO satellites are crucial to the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), which has been pursued by global technology and communications heavyweights such as SpaceX, Amazon and OneWeb, he said.
LEO communications satellites, which are relatively inexpensive, can be launched in large enough numbers to economically provide sufficient bandwidth for data transmission rates that IoT applications require, he said.
This means that there is a high-demand sector that no longer relies on highly advanced technology only affordable to superpowers, Wu said, adding that the sector has a relatively low market threshold that countries like Taiwan can explore.
Taiwan hopes to one day manufacture its own LEO satellites, he said.
The government this year launched a four-year, NT$4 billion (US$142.83 million) project with the aim of launching its first LEO communications satellite in 2025.
In the meantime, Taiwan can capitalize on its years of experience as an original equipment manufacturer to become part of the LEO satellite supply chain, National Space Organization Acting Director-General Yu Shiann-jeng (余憲政) said.
About a dozen Taiwanese companies — including Microelectronics Technology Inc, Win Semiconductors and Kinpo Electronics — are providing components and ground-based reception equipment for SpaceX, Yu said.
With maturer technology and more experience, Taiwanese firms could extend their reach to provide more comprehensive modules with greater added value, he said.
Also expected to help is the Space Development Promotion Act (太空發展法), which was promulgated at the end of May.
The act, which regulates the nation’s space-based activities, shows the world Taiwan’s ambition to carve out its own niche in the space economy, Wu said.
It covers four areas — setting principles of development that are aligned with international space laws, regulating space-based activities to ensure safety, establishing rocket launch sites and promoting industrial development, Wu said.
The ministry is designated as the regulator of the sector and will establish a dedicated agency to deal with related affairs, he said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to