TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) visited the Taiwan Space Agency on Thursday to see the progress of the FORMOSAT-8 satellite project.

In a speech, Lai said the project represents Taiwan’s space aspirations and is a major milestone in the nation’s space journey. As the first initiated remote sensing satellite, FORMOSAT-8 will help Taiwan build a high-resolution, satellite-based land monitoring network and serve as a foundation for Taiwan’s participation in the global low Earth orbit satellite market, Lai said, per the Presidential Office.

TASA aims to launch FORMOSAT-8 in October 2025 to capture images of Earth’s surface. The program comprises six satellites, with the first to launch aboard a SpaceX rocket.

The president said the project involved more than 20 academic and industrial partners and that 84% of critical components were developed domestically. This demonstrates Taiwan’s strong capacity for self-sufficient system integration and its ability to build a robust domestic space industry supply chain, he said.

Lai pointed out that the technical capabilities and experience gained through this project will integrate with Taiwan’s existing strengths in ICT, precision machinery, and electrical engineering, helping the space industry mature.

Going forward, the government will continue to support the “Phase III National Space Technology Long-Term Development Program,” Lai said. Taiwan will also collaborate internationally to deploy the next generation of multi-orbit communication satellites, ensuring full communication coverage and boosting digital resilience, he added.