To advance the country’s space technology and industry development, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has tasked the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) with integrating the resources of key industry, government, academic, and research institutions to organize the Taiwan International Assembly of Space Science, Technology, and Industry (TASTI), a five-day conference to be held at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, starting November 30. The event will feature international seminars, industry exhibitions and forums, startup forums, presentations of academic papers, a CubeSat competition, space micro-courses, and keynote speeches by Simon Pete Worden, former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC), and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. TASTI 2024 is expected to attract about 2,000 participants, and registration is now open.
The global space sector has been experiencing tremendous growth in terms of technological advancement and industrial development, and Taiwan is positioning itself favorably to capitalize on this trend based on its strengths in technology. To connect Taiwan’s industry and academia, last year TASA organized the first TASTI conference, which attracted participants from over 15 countries, with 200 academic papers presented. The event successfully created a comprehensive, integrated consolidation platform to showcase Taiwan’s space technology capabilities.
The second edition of TASTI this year will be co-organized by TASA and major industry, government, academic, and research organizations, including the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), Kaohsiung City Government, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan Space Industry Development Association (TSIDA), Taiwan LEO Satellite Industry Association (TLEOSIA), and the Institute for Information Industry (III). The event will bring together the International Workshop on Satellite Constellations & Formation Flying (IWSCFF), the International Conference on Astronautical and Space Exploration (iCASE), the Satellite Science Workshop (SSW) organized by the Taiwan Space Union (TSU), and the Taiwan International Mission Idea Contest on CubeSat (TIMICC). Concurrent with TASTI, the Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing (APRS) conference organized by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) will also take place, and together they represent a comprehensive event for the space domain.
According to the organizers, this year’s TASTI forums and seminars will feature a wide range of themes, with a focus on the much discussed topic of satellite communications, along with geospatial information, artificial intelligence, space startups, space security, the space environment, laser communications, lunar exploration, space agency governance, space policies and regulations, space radiation, sustainable space development, and the CubeSat industry. The event will showcase Taiwan’s strengths and achievements in optical imaging, remote sensing, meteorological information, and satellite constellation research and applications, with the aim of enhancing the country’s international visibility and academic prestige.
Taiwan plays a critical role in the international space industry amidst the booming growth of the space sector. TASA indicated that TASTI 2024 will be assembling leading experts from local and international organizations, business enterprises, and technological research institutions, with an estimated 2,000 participants. The organizers have also invited representatives from renowned companies and key figures from the international space domain, including Simon Pete Worden, former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center and the visionary leader in commercial space, and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Both are slated to deliver keynote speeches at the event.
The “TASTI 2024 EXPO” space industry exhibition will also be held during the conference, with 35 companies participating with 53 exhibition booths. TASA has planned to put several of its exhibits on display, including FORMOSAT-8, a composite mobile base station for satellite communications, and achievements from its optical payload industry development program. To further engage the public in Taiwan’s space industry, December 1 will be designated the “Public Day”, offering free admission to the expo booths.
The conference will take place at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center from November 30 to December 4, with online registration open on the official website. TASA aims to create a vital platform for advancing Taiwan’s space technology. The agency also hopes to establish TASTI as a leading space event in Asia.
Chunghwa Telecom is the title sponsor of TASTI 2024, with Northrop Grumman providing exclusive dinner sponsorship. Participating sponsors to date include iST, HelioX Cosmos, Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp., Epotech Composite Corp., Taiwan Aerospace Corp., and Aegiverse.
TASTI 2024 official website