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.
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