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.
HSINCHU CASES: Five people among 35 who were reported being sick were still in hospital after eating at a vendor in a market in Jhubei, the local health agency said Thirty-five people have sought medical treatment for acute symptoms after allegedly eating banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) from a vendor in Jhubei City (竹北), the Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau said yesterday. The bureau said that since Saturday, it has received several reports of suspected food poisoning from hospitals. The vendor has been ordered to temporarily suspend its business, it said, adding that tests were being conducted to determine whether the people had food poisoning, with results expected in about two weeks. A preliminary investigation showed that the people who sought treatment had recently eaten banh mi at a vendor at a retail market
COLLABORATION: As TSMC is building an advanced wafer fab in Dresden, Germany, it needs to build a comprehensive supply chain in Europe, Joseph Wu said Taiwan is planning to team up with the Czech Republic to build a semiconductor cluster in the European country, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Friday. Wu, who led a Taiwanese delegation at the annual GLOBSEC Forum held in Prague from Friday to today, said in a news conference that Taiwan seeks to foster cooperation between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and its counterparts in Czechia. Such cooperation is expected to transform the country into one of the most important semiconductor clusters in Europe over the next three to five years, he added. As TSMC is building an advanced
A joint declaration by Pacific leaders was reissued yesterday morning with mentions of Taiwan removed after China slammed an earlier version as a “mistake” that “must be corrected.” After five days of talks in Tonga, a “cleared” communique was released on Friday that reaffirmed a 30-year-old agreement allowing Taiwan to take part in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). However, the wording immediately raised the ire of Chinese diplomats, who piled pressure on Pacific leaders to amend the document. The forum reissued the communique without explanation yesterday morning, conspicuously deleting the paragraph concerning the bloc’s “relations with Taiwan.” “It must be a
China lacks the ability to “fully” invade Taiwan as it does not have the equipment, but is bringing online advanced new weapons and has other options to threaten Taiwan, such as inspecting foreign cargo ships, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. In an annual threat assessment of China sent to lawmakers, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, the ministry said Beijing continues to hone skills such as joint command operations. “However, the use of tactics and strategies against Taiwan is still limited by the natural geographical environment of the Taiwan Strait and insufficient landing equipment and logistic capabilities,”