Tue, May 19, 2026 page3

• NASA asks for input from Taiwan on moon mission

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  Taiwan has been invited for the first time to submit suggestions on solutions for NASA’s lunar exploration program, which the head of Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) hopes would help the country gain a foothold in the emerging global “lunar economy.”

  Securing the invitation would enable Taiwanese companies to bypass third-party system contractors and work directly with the end-user, in this case NASA, TASA Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) said in an interview late last month.

  Formally known as a “request for information” (RFI), the invitation was issued by NASA to get input on 32 technical gaps in its Artemis lunar exploration program.

  

  Taiwan Space Agency Director-General Wu Jong-shinn poses for a photograph in an undated photograph.

  Photo: CNA

  The Artemis program, led by NASA in collaboration with international and commercial partners, aims to land humans on the moon by 2028 and establish a long-term lunar base by 2030.

  RFIs are generally issued during the planning stages of projects to learn what solutions are available and better understand potential vendors.

  An RFI is not a contract opportunity, but it would give Taiwan a chance to introduce its space capabilities, and NASA would use the information it gets to inform future acquisitions.

  Taiwan’s space development has progressed steadily over the past two decades, evolving from a user of foreign technologies into a provider of technology and data, and, increasingly, an international partner, Wu said.

  Taiwan’s space industry generates about NT$300 billion (US$9.51 billion) in annual output value, Wu said, adding that the rise of the lunar economy could create new momentum for growth.

  Specializing in contract manufacturing, Taiwanese companies have historically been excluded from higher-value design contracts, because they lacked access to final operational scenarios, he said, adding that he hoped the NASA RFI could change the trend.

  Wu said he believed that Taiwan’s semiconductors and precision machinery sector would give it an indispensable role in space technologies, especially as a permanent lunar base would need extensive automation, which depends on semiconductors.

  However, Taiwan’s participation in the space economy needed to move toward system integration capabilities, he added.

  The RFI included requests for information on infrastructure capable of withstanding the moon’s extreme environment — near-vacuum conditions, high radiation and gravity about one-sixth that of Earth — as well as advanced computing technologies for space operations.

  Those requests went beyond simple solutions, and to strengthen Taiwan’s response, TASA plans to integrate resources from the private and public sectors, and academia to form a “national team” capable of addressing NASA’s technology needs, Wu said.

  The agency would also assess Taiwanese companies with the necessary capabilities, and focus on key technologies with broad applications and long-term industrial value, he said.

  Aside from the NASA RFI opportunity, a proposed Taiwan-America Space Assistance Act, which recently cleared committee review in both chambers of the US Congress and now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives and Senate, could also provide commercial openings for Taiwan, he added.

  The bill would authorize direct cooperation between TASA, NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on satellite programs, space exploration and atmospheric research.
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