Taiwan and the US are discussing the potential for spaceport cooperation, which could shorten travel time between Taipei and Houston, Texas, to two-and-a-half hours, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said on Monday.
The program would expand space cooperation between Taiwan and the US, the AIT said on Facebook, adding that the matter is “awaiting further evaluation.”
Ellington Airport in Houston already has a spaceport license, it said.
Photo: Screen grab from American Institute in Taiwan’s Facebook page
If suborbital flights are used, it would take only two-and-a-half hours to travel between Taipei and Houston, the AIT said.
The cooperation could initially focus on uncrewed cargo missions before maturing technology enables crewed flights, it added.
“This concept highlights Taiwan’s potential for space innovation and also marks the deep scientific and technological partnership between the United States and Taiwan,” the AIT said.
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), which oversees the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), yesterday welcomed the expansion of bilateral space cooperation, but added that specific plans for space transportation required further evaluation and discussion.
An entirely new form of transportation, the spaceport program could use several different approaches, an unnamed official from Houston First, the tourism bureau of Houston, said late last month.
One would involve a large aircraft carrying a spacecraft into the air and releasing it over open ocean, the official said.
After release, the spacecraft would ignite its engine, ascend vertically through the atmosphere, adjust its orientation, then return to Earth in a free-fall trajectory before making a precision landing at a designated airport, the official added.
The US has 20 spaceports and launch or re-entry sites, including the Houston Spaceport, which is located next to Ellington Airport, US Federal Aviation Administration information says.
That airport focuses on spacecraft development and supports training activities for NASA.
A source familiar with the matter said that relevant US agencies have engaged in informal discussions about the spaceport concept with TASA during international exchange events.
Given the speed of launch and landing, such travel is currently unsuitable for untrained passengers, making cargo transport a more feasible application, the source said.
Taiwan currently does not have a spaceport.
The NSTC announced earlier this year that Jioupeng Village (九棚) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州) was selected as the location for Taiwan’s national launch facility, with current plans focused on launch operations after the site is completed.
However, space has been reserved at the site for potential expansion into a spaceport capable of handling landings, the source said.
Separately, when asked about the potential spaceport cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs North American Affairs Department Director-General Wang Liang-yu (王良玉) yesterday said that the ministry does not have details on the issue, but it would discuss it with relevant government agencies, and that it would be glad to assist where needed.
Additional reporting by Tsai Yun-jung
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
RSS