Taiwan is to open a space rocket research center by 2030 with the goal of achieving the capability to launch rockets domestically, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said yesterday.
The research center, which is to be built in Tainan’s Shalun Township (沙崙), would focus on subsystems, and component research and development, aiming to enable the production of a Taiwanese rocket of about 25m to 28m in length, it said.
The rocket center would by 2030 give the nation the ability to launch satellites that weigh about 200kg into orbit without using other launch service providers, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency via CNA
The project would be part of a strategy to facilitate satellite research in the north and rocket research in the south, it said.
The Executive Yuan approved the proposal to fund the rocket research center in October last year, tentatively authorizing NT$3.39 billion (US$108 million) for construction from this year to 2029, the agency said.
The center would not launch rockets on site nor conduct work on rocket engines that generate noise, it said.
The project would facilitate the development of national space industry supply chains, it added.
A national rocket launch center would be built in Pingtung County, it said, adding that the site has completed the fourth phase of its environmental impact assessment.
The agency aims to submit the final launch site construction plans to the Ministry of Environment by the second quarter and be ready to operate the launch base by 2032, it said.
The nation has invested in satellite technology for many years, but does not yet possess independent launch capabilities, so it depends on launch services in the private sector, such as SpaceX, the agency said.
Using commercial services means that the government cannot determine its launch schedule and has to make allowances for delays due to competition from other clients, leading to a reduction in autonomous space missions, it said.
The agency in 2023 initiated the program for space rockets to establish mechanisms for facilitating the certification of satellites and space flight components, it said.
The program would upgrade the nation’s space industry, oversee industry-academia cooperation, and help Taiwanese manufacturers obtain flight time and quality standard certificates, the agency said.
More than 50 Taiwanese companies are collaborating with the agency to develop avionics, remote control, guidance, propulsion and lightweight systems used in spaceflight, it said.
The agency is working to allow the nation to source rocket and satellite parts domestically as a key step in creating a national rocket industry, it said.