The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is to propose a plan by the end of the year to extend the third phase of Taiwan’s long-term space development program, council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
NSTC members endorsed the proposal in a meeting on Tuesday, but it must still be reviewed by the Executive Yuan and submitted to the Legislative Yuan for final approval, Wu said.
The council hopes to extend to 2031 the third phase of its long-term national space technology development, which was to run from 2019 to 2028, he said.
Photo courtesy of the council
The government had planned to launch six low-orbit satellites by 2028 to boost communications, but the nation’s space industry failed to make or launch satellites early on, delaying the program and necessitating the three-year extension, he said.
With additional funding from the government for the program, the satellite industry would eventually lead in next-generation communications technology, he said.
Regarding the program’s first Earth-observing Formosat-8 satellites, Wu said that those six satellites would be launched between next year and 2029, following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Executive Yuan said the first and second phases of the program from 1991 to 2018 laid the foundation for domestic satellite development and elevated Taiwan’s overall space science and technology capabilities.
The third phase was devised to set up a space technology supply chain through satellite launches and participation in the global space market.
Meanwhile, the NSTC approved a proposal to invest more in the long-term care industry, given that Taiwan is expected to become a super-aged society in 2025, in which more than 20 percent of the population would be aged 65 and older.
The council backed proposals that it hopes will increase the value of the long-term care industry to more than NT$300 billion (US$9.6 billion) in 2025, which would benefit people 65 or older.
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