The National Space Organization (NSPO) was yesterday reorganized into a legal entity under the administration of the National Science and Technology Council, and renamed the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) in English.
Officials said the agency would be tasked with the research, development and implementation of space-related plans and technology.
The new English-language name was chosen to give Taiwan greater international visibility, the agency said, adding that it would retain its Chinese name.
The restructuring, which was implemented in accordance with the Act for the Establishment of the Taiwan Space Agency (國家太空中心設置條例), is part of the council’s efforts to bolster Taiwan’s competitiveness in space research and demonstrates Taiwan’s global ambitions in the field, council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
Taiwan’s development of space science and technology dates back 30 years, and culminated in the enactment of the Space Development Act (太空發展法) on Jan. 20 last year, which was legislated in response to the growing international aerospace sector, he said.
Aside from coordinating space-related research, TASA would promote international cooperation and exchanges in space science and technology, Wu said, adding that it would also handle tasks related to rocket launch sites, including launch-vehicle registrations and launch permits.
The agency on Sept. 30 announced plans to launch a domestically designed and built rocket in 2026 as part of the Siraya Rocket Plan project, which, if successful, would be a milestone for Taiwan’s emerging space industry.
The space agency was established in 1991 as the National Space Program Office to cultivate talent in the area of space research. In 2003, it was merged with other research agencies under the National Applied Research Laboratories and was renamed the National Space Organization in 2005 before its latest reorganization.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle