Taiwan Space Agency Explained

Taiwan Space Agency
Native Name:	國家太空中心 Guójiā Tàikōng Zhōngxīn
Acronym:	TASA
Caption:	opening ceremony of TASA
Jurisdiction:	Taiwan
Owner:	National Applied Research Laboratories
Headquarters:	Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu
Spaceport:	Jiu Peng Air Base, Pingtung County Xuhai Rocket Launch Site, Pingtung County
Established:
Administrator:	Wu Jong-shinn, Director General
Budget:	NT$10 billion dollars (2023)
Former Name:	National Space Organization
Employees:	Roughly 300

Taiwan Space Agency (short as TASA), formerly the National Space Organization from 1991 to 2023, is the national civilian space agency of the Republic of China (Taiwan), under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council. TASA is involved in the development of space technologies and related research.^[1]

Organization

TASA headquarters and the main ground control station are in Hsinchu. The TASA is organized as follows:^[2] In April 2022, the Legislative Yuan passed a bill that upgraded the NSPO to a directly affiliated agency of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and renamed Taiwan Space Agency.^[3]

Director General's Office
Engineering division	Systems
	Electrical
	Mechanical
	Flight control
	Satellite operations control
	Satellite image
	Integration and test
	Product assurance
Division	Planning and promotion
	Administration
	Finance and accounting
Program office	Mission oriented projects
	Formosat 7
	Formosat 5

TASA also has numerous laboratories,^[4] such as:

• System Simulation Laboratory
• Thermal Control Laboratory
• Microwave Communication Laboratory
• Data Processing Laboratory
• Attitude Determination and Control Laboratory
• Electro-optics Laboratory
• Structure Development Laboratory
• Electrical Power Laboratory
• Multi-layer Insulation (MLI) Laboratory

History

1991

• 10/03
  The Executive Yuan approved the "Space Technology Long Term (15 years) Developmental Program"; established National Space Program Office.^[5]

1994

• 09/09
  Held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Satellite Integration & Test Building
• 11/01
  Signed a frequency coordination contract with a US company Telecom Strategies
• 12/12
  Signed a ground system contract with the US company Allied Signal Technical Service Corponation (ATSC)

1996

• 06/30
  The completion of the five domestic component engineering model development; start the manufacture of flight unit.

1997

• 04/25
  Held a FORMOSAT-1 antenna installment ceremony at Tainan National Cheng Kung University.
• 05/16
  The Spacecraft Bus was delivered to the Satellite Integration & Test Building of National Space Program Office from Los Angelus, USA
• 07/11
  The Vice President Lien officiated the opening ceremony of the Satellite Integration & Test Building.

1998

• 06/21
  National Science Council announced the result for the "Naming and Drawing Competitions", and finalized that the satellite will be named "FORMOSAT-1"
• 10/07
  The completion of FORMOSAT-1 satellite system integration and tests.

1999

• 01/27
  FORMOSAT-1 was being launched into the orbit and started executing its scientific missions.
• 02/13
  The Ocean Color Imager of FORMOSAT-1 took its first ocean color image.
• 03/16
  Dr Wong Hung-Chih took on the Director General position of the National Space Program Office.
• 06/30
  Held a contract signing ceremony for the FORMOSAT-2 X-band antenna system.
• 12/15
  The commencement of the development of FORMOSAT-2.

2018

• 02/01
  Dr. Chun-Liang Lin took on the Director General position of National Space Organization
• 02/23
  President Tsai Meets with FORMOSAT-5 Satellite Team
• 08/03
  President of the Executive Yuan Ching-te Lai inspected FORMOSAT-7 preparation
• 09/21
  FORMOSAT-5 Imagery Service Begins

2019

• 02/21
  President Ing-wen Tsai Visited NSPO
• 06/25
  FORMOSAT-7 satellites launched into space by SpaceX on Falcon Heavy
• 07/17
  FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 successfully observed the first Radio Occultation profile

2020

• 03/07
  FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 atmospheric data were released
• 04/30
  FORMOSAT-3 constellation Completes its Mission with Honor

2021

• 01/24
  YUSAT and IDEASSAT CubeSats launched
• 02/03
  Formosat-7 constellation deployment was completed
• 05/31
  "Space Development Act" Passes Legislature's 3rd Reading
• 08/02
  professor of NCTU and head of Advanced Rocket Research Center Jong-Shin Wu established as new manager of NSPO^[6]
• 09/30
  Taiwanese seeds return from space^{[7] [8]}
• 10/27
  signs contract on collaboration with NanoAvionics^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

2023

The organization is placed under the direct oversight of the National Science and Technology Council and renamed the Taiwan Space Agency.^{[15] [16]} The Chinese name was not changed.^[17]

Taiwanese rocket launch program

TASA developed several suborbital launch vehicles based on the Sky Bow II surface-to-air missile. There have been six to seven launches as of 2010.

Mission	Date	Payload	Result
SR-I	15 December 1998	None	Successful first test flight.
SR-II	24 October 2001	Tri-Methyl Aluminum (TMA)	Second stage ignition failure, mission lost
SR-III	24 December 2003	Tri-Methyl Aluminum (TMA)	Mission successful
SR-IV	14 December 2004	Airglow photometer, GPS receiver	Mission successful
SR-V	15 January 2006	Ion probe	Mission successful
SR-VII	May 10, 2010	Ion probe	Mission successful^[18]

Taiwanese designed and built satellites

Formosat (formerly ROCSAT)

The FORMOSAT (福爾摩沙衛星) name derived from Formosa and satellite (formerly ROCSAT (中華衛星), an abbreviation of Republic of China and satellite.

• Formosat-1 (formerly ROCSAT-1): Communications and ionospheric research satellite, launched in January 1999.
• Formosat-2 (formerly ROCSAT-2): Ionospheric research and surface mapping satellite, launched May 2004.
• Formosat-3/COSMIC

Constellation of six microsatellites to perform GPS occultation studies of the upper atmosphere. Collaborative project with US agencies including NASA, NOAA and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, launched in April 2006.

• Formosat-5

Optical earth observation and magnetic field research as a successor to the Japanese Reimei mission. Cooperation with Japan and Canada. Launch was originally planned for 2011,^[19] it was launched in 2017.^[20]

• Formosat-6 was a micro satellite project, its development was cancelled.^[21]
• Formosat-7 is a group of 6 satellites in low inclination orbits to provide meteorology data at low and mid latitudes.^[22] Launch took place in June 2019.
• Triton, The FORMOSAT-7R (TRITON) is a micro-satellite designed and manufactured by NSPO. It is planned along with the FORMOSAT-7 program, thus it continues to use FORMOSAT serial number and subjoins a letter "R" for identification. Known as the "wind hunter" the satellite will measure sea winds and provide a supplement to the FORMOSAT-7 constellation. The name "Triton" is given due to its mission.^[23] Triton was launched on October 8, 2023, by Arianespace SA from the Kourou launch complex in French Guiana. The Triton satellite will be 87% Taiwanese made, an improvement from the Formosat-7's 78%.^{[24] [25]}

Others

• YamSat

Series of picosatellites (volume 1000 cubic cm, weight roughly 850 grams) designed to carry out simple short duration spectroscopy missions.^[26] Originally planned for launch in 2003 by a Russian launch vehicle but cancelled due to political pressure from the Russian government.^[27]

• Arase

JAXA mission to study the inner magnetosphere, launched 2016. Taiwan provided an instrument.

• RISESAT

microsatellite developed by Tohoku University, Japan, launched in 2019. Taiwan provided an instrument.^[28]

• Flying Squirrel, developed by National Central University and launched in 2021.^[29]
• Yushan, developed by MoGaMe Mobile Entertainment and launched in 2021.^[29]

Planned missions

• Triton, The FORMOSAT-7R (TRITON) is a micro-satellite designed and manufactured by NSPO. It is planned along with the FORMOSAT-7 program, thus it continues to use FORMOSAT serial number and subjoins a letter "R" for identification. Known as the "wind hunter" the satellite will measure sea winds and provide a supplement to the FORMOSAT-7 constellation. The name "Triton" is given due to its mission.^[23] Triton is to be launched in 2021 by Arianespace SA from the Kourou launch complex in French Guiana. The Triton satellite will be 87% Taiwanese made, an improvement from the Formosat-7's 78%.^[24]
• Formosat-8, remote sensing satellite planned to follow Triton.
• Formosat-8B, a remote sensing satellite. It also has a science payload called Gamma-ray Transients Monitor(GTM).^[30] It is the first astronomical satellite by TASA.
• Nut, developed by National Formosa University. To be launched in June 2021.^[29]

Developments and long term plans

The first phase of Taiwan's space program involves the development of the human and technological resources required to build and maintain three satellite programs, which is expected to be completed with the launch of Formosat-3/COSMIC by the end of 2005. Currently, the spacecraft and instrumentation are designed and assembled in Taiwan by local and foreign corporations and shipped to the U.S. for launch by commercial space launch firms. TASA, the military, and Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology have also been working on the development of a sounding rocket for upper atmospheric studies.

The second phase is scheduled to take place between 2006 and 2018. It will involve an emphasis on developing technological integration and miniaturization capabilities required for the development of constellations of microsatellites, as well as encouraging growth in the local aerospace industry.

Since 2009, TASA has been working with university research teams in developing innovative technology to improve the overall efficiency of hybrid rockets. Nitrous oxide/HTPB propellant systems were employed with efficiency boosting designs, which resulted in great improvements in hybrid rocket performance using two patented designs. So far, several hybrid rockets have been successfully launched to 10~20 km altitudes, including a demonstration of in-flight stops/restarts. By the end of 2014, they will attempt conducting suborbital experiments to 100~200 km altitude.

There have been proposals to elevate NSPO's status to that of a national research institute, however such plans were under debate Legislative Yuan as of late 2007.

In 2019 the Ministry of Science and Technology announced an expected cost of NT$25.1 billion (US$814 million) for the third phase of the National Space Program.^[31] The third phase will see at least one satellite launched per year between 2019 and 2028.^[32]

In August 2019 Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency announced that they would consult with TASA on developing their own indigenous satellites.^[33]

In 2021 the Taiwanese legislature passed the Space Development Promotion Act which is meant to incentivize increased private sector participation in space industries.^[34]

See also

• Advanced Rocket Research Center
• List of government space agencies

Notes and References

1. Web site: About NSPO Vision and Mission. Nspo.narl.org.tw. March 16, 2017. March 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054250/http://www.nspo.narl.org.tw/en2016/aboutNSPO/mission.html. dead.
2. Web site: About NSPO Organization. Nspo.narl.org.tw. March 16, 2017. March 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054513/http://www.nspo.narl.org.tw/en2016/aboutNSPO/org.html. dead.
3. News: Wang . Yang-yu . Teng . Pei-ju . Taiwan's legislature clears bill to upgrade national space agency . 19 April 2022 . Central News Agency . 19 April 2022.
4. Web site: About NSPO Infrastructures. Nspo.narl.org.tw. March 16, 2017. March 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054204/http://www.nspo.narl.org.tw/en2016/aboutNSPO/lab.html. dead.
5. Web site: NSPO History Timeline. NSPO.
6. Web site: 火箭阿伯扭轉太空夢國研院太空中心主任佈達. nspo news.
7. Web site: Taiwan seeds return from space!. NSPO.
8. Web site: 上太空的台灣種子回來了!. nspo news.
9. Web site: 臺灣與立陶宛展開太空科技合作. nspo news.
10. Web site: MOU Signed Between Taiwan and Lithuania to Initiate Space Technology and S&T cooperation. nspo news.
11. Web site: 我太空中心與立陶宛NanoAvionics 簽MOU. 睿智. 江. udn.com.
12. Web site: 臺灣與立陶宛展開太空科技合作. most global.
13. Web site: 開啟太空科技合作起點！台灣、立陶宛簽署合作備忘錄. tw.news.yahoo.com. October 28, 2021 .
14. Web site: 台灣立陶宛簽合作備忘錄 先導計畫發展商用太空科技. NCU research.
15. News: Taiwan Space Agency receives upgraded status . 7 January 2023 . Taiwan Today . 3 January 2023.
16. News: Yen . William . Taiwan's space agency rebrands as TASA after official upgrade . 7 January 2023 . Central News Agency . 6 January 2023. Republished as: News: Taiwan Space Agency renamed after upgrade . 7 January 2023 . Taipei Times . 7 January 2023.
17. News: Chen . Chia-yi . Hetherington . William . Space agency renamed TASA in official overhaul . 7 January 2023 . Taipei Times . 2 January 2023.
18. Web site: 美寶落格 MEPO Log - 文章在 週一, 五月 10. 2010. Mepopedia.com. August 1, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20190220181313/http://mepopedia.com/blog/index.php?%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F10.html. February 20, 2019. dead.
19. Web site: Plasma/particle instruments and Japan-Taiwan collaboration for the Geospace magnetosphere/ionosphere explorations . Masafumi Hirahara . October 21, 2003 . June 5, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090326231801/http://www.pssc.ncku.edu.tw/FISFES/Presentation/FISFES_2008-11(Hirahara).pdf . March 26, 2009 . dead .
20. Web site: FORMOSAT 5. space.skyrocket.de. August 1, 2017.
21. Web site: FORMOSAT 6. space.skyrocket.de. April 14, 2019.
22. Web site: FORMOSAT -7 . www.nspo.narl.org.tw . April 13, 2019 . December 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181207153347/http://www.nspo.narl.org.tw/en2016/projects/FORMOSAT-7/program-description.html . dead .
23. Web site: Hui-ju . Chien . Second satellite to launch in Guyana in last half of 2021 . www.taipeitimes.com . Taipei Times . 17 November 2019 . 17 November 2019.
24. Web site: Strong . Matthew . France's Arianespace wins bid to launch Taiwan satellite in 2021 . www.taiwannews.com.tw . November 15, 2019 . Taiwan News . 15 November 2019.
25. Web site: Chung . Yu-chen . Taiwan's first domestic Triton weather satellite launches . Focus Taiwan . October 9, 2023 . Central News Agency . 9 October 2023.
26. http://www.nspo.narl.org.tw/en2016/projects/Other/yamsat.html YamSat Program
27. Web site: YamSat 1A, 1B, 1C. Space.skyrocket.de. August 1, 2017.
28. Web site: Clark . Stephen . Japan's Epsilon rocket launches seven tech demo satellites . /spaceflightnow.com . Pole Star Publications Ltd . 14 April 2019.
29. Web site: Ssu-yun . Su . Mazzetta . Matthew . SpaceX rocket carries two Taiwanese satellites into space . focustaiwan.tw . January 24, 2021 . Focus Taiwan . 25 January 2021.
30. Chang . Hsiang-Kuang . Lin . Chi-Hsun . Tsao . Che-Chih . Chu . Che-Yen . Yang . Shun-Chia . Huang . Chien-You . Wang . Chao-Hsi . Su . Tze-Hsiang . Chung . Yun-Hsin . Chang . Yung-Wei . Gong . Zi-Jun . Hsiang . Jr-Yue . Lai . Keng-Li . Lin . Tsu-Hsuan . Lu . Chia-Yu . 2022-01-15 . The Gamma-ray Transients Monitor (GTM) on board Formosat-8B and its GRB detection efficiency . Advances in Space Research . 69 . 2 . 1249–1255 . 10.1016/j.asr.2021.10.044 . 0273-1177. free .
31. Web site: Sherry Hsiao . Chien Hui-ju . Ministry announces third phase of space program . taipeitimes.com . February 14, 2019 . Taipei Times . 14 April 2019.
32. Web site: Matthew . Strong . Taiwan to launch one satellite a year over the next decade . taiwannews.com . February 13, 2019 . Taiwan News . 14 April 2019.
33. Web site: Pei-ju . Teng . Thailand seeks consultation with Taiwan on domestically built satellite . www.taiwannews.com.tw . August 29, 2019 . Taiwan News . 15 November 2019.
34. Web site: Staff Writer . Taiwan eyes aerospace, focus on LEO satellites . www.taipeitimes.com . Taipei Times . 17 July 2021.