Taiwan's government has officially committed to developing its own version of "Starlink" as part of its "Five Trusted Industry Sectors" initiative. The launch of the country's first Beyond 5G low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite has been pushed back to 2027, two years later than the original 2025 target.
In line with the push for homegrown technology, Taiwan aims to achieve 80% domestic production of key components for ground communication systems tied to these satellites.
President Lai Ching-te has laid out a national vision focusing on five critical sectors: semiconductors, artificial intelligence, defense, security, and next-generation communications, with the Beyond 5G satellite project serving as a core part of the communications effort.
Originally launched in 2020 as a collaboration between the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Beyond 5G project was set to receive NT$4 billion (approx. US$125 million) over three years to develop Taiwan's first experimental LEO satellite. However, the timeline has since been extended to six years.
Initially planned for launch in 2025, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) now expects the launch will be delayed until 2027. The setback is attributed to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) missing key development benchmarks, though the institute has declined to comment.
Space technology was one of six strategic industries championed by former President Tsai Ing-wen, who set a goal for Taiwan's space industry to hit NT$300 billion in value by 2025. The Beyond 5G project, part of this broader initiative, aims to build a "Taiwanese Starlink" to bolster national communications resilience.
According to the National Science and Technology Council, the program involves six satellites—two first-generation and four 1.5-generation—with future second-generation satellites expected to feature optical communications and inter-satellite networking.
Government documents reveal that the Beyond 5G satellite development will require NT$100 million annually, with an additional NT$1.1 billion slated for the 1.5-generation satellites in 2025. The goal is to localize the development of radio frequency front-end chips and create a communication system that can match international standards in performance.
Taiwan's satellite program plans to use space laser communication technology for inter-satellite links, which will require advanced pointing, acquisition, and tracking systems, as well as optical communication control units and transmission modules. The plan also includes setting up ground-based optical communication stations.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has tasked ITRI and other agencies with developing ground communication systems for the LEO satellites, focusing on baseband technology, large phased-array antennas, and testing radio frequency chips for commercial communications payloads. The Telecommunications Technology Center will handle cybersecurity testing.
Despite the delays, the National Science and Technology Council reports that the first Beyond 5G satellite has cleared its initial critical design review, with key engineering tasks completed and communication payload testing successfully verified.
