Taipei university opens low-Earth orbit satellite talent center

台北某大學開設低軌道衛星人才中心

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taipei University of Technology on Thursday launched a “Beyond 5G Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Communication Talent Training Center” as part of an initiative to boost Taiwan’s space technology sector.

The Ministry of Education said the facility will combine the university’s ICT experts with the Taiwan Space Agency, Institute for Information Industry, and Industrial Technology Research Institute to train satellite communication talent through a three-year program of hands-on courses and experimental facilities, per CNA.

The ministry added that the satellite industry includes ground equipment, manufacturing, services, and launches, with ground equipment making up nearly half of global satellite output. Taiwan needs to expand training for talent to keep pace with global developments.

Chen Chia-ray (陳嘉瑞), head of the satellite program at the Taiwan Space Agency, said the agency has partnered with the university to set up satellite testing equipment and a communications laboratory. The facility will offer students courses in radio frequency modules, network access, and system applications.

At the center’s opening, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said satellite and communication technologies support national security, land management, network expansion, fisheries, and unmanned vehicle development.

She noted Taiwan’s first domestically produced satellite constellation, Formosat-8, includes eight optical remote sensing satellites. The FS-8A satellite, part of Formosat-8, is set to launch on a SpaceX rocket in the fourth quarter, boosting Taiwan’s disaster relief, agricultural monitoring, and national security capabilities. Key components of FS-8A are domestically developed.

Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said the government will invest NT$2.4 billion (US$75 million) in 20 satellite and communications training facilities. Taiwan Telecommunication Industry & Engineering Association Chair Hsieh Kun-ching (謝坤靜) added that low-Earth orbit satellites are crucial for communications and national security amid climate change and undersea cable risks.