Taiwan Space Agency’s first lunar exploration mission

The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) has announced plans for its first lunar exploration mission. The Sunday press conference detailed collaboration with international space agencies to integrate two scientific payloads, developed jointly by the TASA and academia, into a lunar lander. The project is slated for launch as early as 2028 and will research the lunar mini-magnetosphere and vortex regions, as well as topography and ultraviolet astronomy.

In response to rapidly evolving space industry trends, Taiwan’s third phase of the National Space Science and Technology Development Plan is undergoing budget increases and timeline extensions. According to the TASA, flight and engineering components of its two major mission payloads, the Lunar Vector Magnetometer and the Formosa Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Experiment (FLUTE), will be ready by the end of this year.

With a procurement budget of NT$335 million (over US$11.2 million), the TASA will open bidding to integrate the instruments into the lunar lander and deliver them to the lunar surface. The payload is expected to be launched via rocket as early as 2028, enter lunar orbit, and land on the surface to carry out scientific research and observation missions.

www.rti.org.tw