TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Space Organization (NSPO) and India are among the many international partners involved in launching a CubeSat into space in January 2022, reports said Saturday (Dec. 18).

A CubeSat is a miniaturized satellite for space research consisting of modules 10 centimeters tall, wide and deep. The INSPIRESat-1 is part of the “Inspire” program developed by National Central University (NCU) in Taoyuan, CNA reported.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is responsible for sending the satellite into space next month. Other participants in the project include the University of Colorado Boulder, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology.

NSPO Director General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) expressed optimism about the future of cooperation between Taiwan and India on space projects. The South Asian country’s 500 space-related businesses could help Taiwan develop its own space economy based on its strengths in semiconductors, ICT, and weather technology, he said.

The NSPO also plans to launch a locally made satellite, the Triton, next year, with the FORMOSAT-8 scheduled for 2023 and the B5G low-orbit communication satellite for 2025.