The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is in talks with Amazon.com to collaborate on its Project Kuiper that would complete Taiwan’s low Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellite network, NSTC Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said.
Wu made the remarks in a media interview, adding that Taiwanese businesses are also hoping to play an important role in Kuiper’s satellite production, and that Taiwan’s technology would improve quickly through its cooperation with the US, which possesses some of the world’s top satellite design capabilities.
Taiwan is also seeking to collaborate with Kuiper on optical inter-satellite link communication technologies, which allow satellites to exchange information rapidly without a ground intermediary, sources said.
Photo: CNA
The technology supports communications for remote areas and helps to maintain basic communications in case ground systems are disconnected.
The plans go hand-in-hand with the third phase of Taiwan’s national space program, whose revision is expected to be approved by the Cabinet in the near future, Wu said.
The third phase, originally projected to run from 2019 to 2028, was aimed at launching one satellite per year for national security and environmental monitoring purposes.
The NSTC proposed a revision last year with a budget of more than NT$40 billion (US$1.33 billion) to extend the third phase to 2031 to adapt to the rapid changes in LEO distribution and commercialization.
Should the revised version be carried out, it would include two self-developed experimental satellites and four satellites developed in collaboration with the industrial sector, which would also be a part of Taiwan’s satellite network.
The first experimental satellite would be scheduled to be launched in 2027, while the four collaborative satellites would be scheduled for launch as early as 2029.
A rocket research and development base would also be established in Tainan as part of the space program, with construction scheduled to begin in as early as next year, Wu said.
However, the base would not be used for ignition and launching tests, he said.
Another feature of the third phase revision is the commercialization of various aspects of the program.
The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) would collaborate with the private sector to create a supply chain for the space industry extending from system design to component manufacturing, Wu said.
Yet while there will be new opportunities, businesses would still have to develop new skills because the ground and terminal equipment used for communications satellites have different specifications from standard ground equipment Taiwanese businesses are familiar with, he said.
As a result, in addition to startups joining the supply chain, many IC design companies and electronics manufacturers are expressing interest in participating, eyeing the prospects of satellite applications, he said.
The NSTC also hopes to connect with international partners, including in the US, Europe and Japan, and develop global markets together, Wu said.
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