Taiwan President Lai announces satellite launch facilities in Tainan and Pingtung

President William Lai said Taiwan is working toward independently launching domestically manufactured satellites, with government backing for rocket research and launch facilities. A facility in Tainan’s Shalun is expected to begin operations in 2030, and a national rocket launch site in Pingtung’s

Taiwan is working toward independently launching domestically manufactured satellites, President William Lai said yesterday, highlighting increased government investment in space technology. Speaking at the opening of the Taiwan International Assembly of Space Science, Technology and Industry in Tainan, Lai said the government was supporting domestic satellite and rocket development while building the “necessary testing and launch facilities.”

The government has approved a facility for rocket research, development, assembly and testing in Tainan’s Shalun, and selected Pingtung County’s Jioupeng as the site of a national rocket launch facility, Lai said. According to a timetable previously announced by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), the Shalun base is expected to begin operations in 2030, while the Jioupeng launch facility is expected to become operational in 2032.

“As these facilities are completed, we will make progress toward launching satellites independently,” Lai said. Taiwan currently relies on foreign launch service providers, such as SpaceX, to send its satellites into orbit. A launch site in Pingtung County’s Syuhai is used to launch sounding rockets for scientific research and technology testing rather than orbital satellite launches.

The government has also increased funding for the third phase of its National Space Technology Long-term Development Program to NT$71 billion (US$2.16 billion) and extended its implementation through 2031, Lai said. The revision, approved by the Executive Yuan in October last year, increased the original 10-year program’s budget from NT$25.1 billion and extended its end date from 2028 to 2031.

“Investing in space is investing in our shared future,” Lai said. Satellite data can help monitor environmental changes and support disaster relief efforts, while satellite communications can maintain essential connectivity when ground-based networks were damaged, he said. National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen said Taiwan would participate in NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon, although he did not specify the nature of its involvement.