A bill aimed at deepening space cooperation between Taiwan and the US cleared the committee stage in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The Taiwan and American Space Assistance Act (TASA Act) was included as an amendment to the NASA Reauthorization Act, which the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology passed with a 37-0 vote.
The TASA Act was first introduced in September last year by US representatives French Hill and Gabe Amo.
Photo: Reuters
Because of the US government’s “one China policy,” NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had “limited” authority to work with the Taiwan Space Agency, which was launched in 2022, they said in a statement.
The TASA Act would not only give NASA and NOAA additional authority, but would also instruct them to “work with Taiwan in areas of mutual benefit, including satellite programs, space exploration programs, and atmospheric and weather programs,” the representatives said.
The bill would provide an avenue for “voluntary exchange of personnel from NASA and the NOAA to the Taiwan Space Agency to further advance Taiwan’s space capabilities,” the statement said.
The TASA Act was one of 41 amendments added to a bill authorizing US$24.4 billion in funding for NASA — a slight dip from last year’s budget of US$24.88 billion, but significantly more than the US$18 billion put forth by US President Donald Trump in his budget proposal for this year.
The amendments must be passed by the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, then signed into law by the president to take effect.