Taiwan’s space program plans to use medical devices to test the effects of radiation on electronics in Taiwanese satellites, the National Space Organization (NSPO) said on Wednesday last week.
The NSPO has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taipei Veterans General Hospital to use its Heavy Particle Therapy Center to simulate the radiation environment of space in certification tests, the agency wrote in a news release.
Satellite components must be hardened against radiation, as particle strikes can trigger malfunctions, from failures that require a system reboot to incidents that disable mission-critical components, the agency said.
Photo provided by the National Applied Research Laboratories
With the Ministry of Science and Technology pushing to have 60 percent of the components in locally produced satellites made in Taiwan, the nation must have independent capability to test the radiation resistance of its electronics, it said.
Although the agency in 2020 founded an alliance to promote testing of components for their ability to continue working in the heightened radioactivity levels of space, a lack of specialist equipment has meant Taiwan has had to rely on foreign labs, especially in the US or European countries, the agency said.
Closing the testing capability gap via the MOU would trim a week from the six-month certification process and save money, NSPO Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) said.
The collaboration would help boost the research and development capabilities of the aerospace industry and increase Taiwan’s contribution to space science, hospital director Chen Wei-ming (陳威明) said.
The alliance welcomes the participation of medical institutions in the country’s drive to develop its aerospace industry, said Lin Bou-wen (林博文), acting president of National Applied Research Laboratories, a member of the testing alliance.
The government, academia and private enterprises must improve their partnerships for the indigenous space industry to succeed, Lin said.
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