Replacing Starlink: The Taiwan Space Agency Prepares To Launch Four Low-Orbit Satellites

As the space race intensifies and reliance on low-orbital satellite communication systems grows, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) prepares to join the race. New reports reveal the agency is preparing to launch four low-orbit satellite communication systems into space by 2029.

The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) Prepares To Join The Space Race

Over the past few years, TASA has negotiated with various international satellite manufacturing firms. These negotiations might mature into the launch of the country’s first set of low-orbit satellite communications systems.

To bring these negotiations to reality, the Taiwanese government is preparing to invest $75.54 million into the development of low-orbit satellites. These four satellites will be responsible for the provision of 6G internet connectivity for users here on Earth.

Starlink Talks Collapse, But Taiwan’s Beyond 5G Project Pushes Forward

However, these negotiations don’t seem to be moving forward as the Taiwanese government hopes. Starlink is one of the international firms that the Taiwanese government was negotiating with, but some statements from Elon Musk brought negotiations to an abrupt end.

In addition to the development of these satellites by international partners, the Taiwanese government is also calling on the technological know-how of local manufacturers. This public-private partnership will be under the Beyond 5G (B5G) project and will develop 6 low-orbit satellites using an additional budget of $27 million.

This budget will help subsidize Taiwan’s satellite communications industry and also fund the design, manufacturing, integration, and testing of these satellites. Two of the six satellites will be test satellites, which will lay the foundation for the four’s technical specifications.

There will be a bidding process that private companies can participate in to be selected for this project. The Taiwanese government will pick two firms that partake in this bid to enter the second phase of “satellite manufacturing and testing, satellite launch and on-orbit operation.”

How Will The Taiwan Space Agency Satellites Work?

The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs has described how the coming communications satellites will work. These satellites, just like every low-orbit communication satellite, will work to provide an internet connection to users on Earth.

The ministry points out that the first four low-orbit satellites to launch in 2029 will be in operation for five years. During this period, they will all operate at an altitude of 600 km to 650 km in Earth’s low-orbit region.

They also point out that these satellites will be able to perform “inter-satellite communication handover.” Meaning “that when a satellite is about to leave its coverage area or cannot maintain a connection, the communication link is passed to another satellite to ensure that the connection is not interrupted.”

Unlike other satellites that use radio frequency signals for data transmissions, these four satellites will use “inter-satellite optical communications” to improve communication efficiency. This technology will also help to improve the overall bandwidth of communication.