Taiwan is developing its own “Starlink” – if attacked it cannot rely on submarine cables

Image above represents the view from inside the Taiwan Space Agency control center on March 5, 2024 in Hsinchu, Taiwan (John Mees/CNN)

Taiwan authorities are working on an ambitious new satellite system to keep the island functioning in the event of a disaster, while dealing with the constant threat of hostilities with China.

Wu Jong-shinn, director general of the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), told CNN in an exclusive interview that Taiwan is in an “experimental development phase” in efforts to build new local communications satellites.

Once the system is operational, it could work similarly to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system in providing internet access – albeit on a much smaller scale, said Wu, who has led Taiwan’s space programs since 2021.

Starlink, operated by Musk’s SpaceX, uses a network of thousands of satellites to provide Internet to users around the world, including areas where conventional connections are not available.

It has been used by the Ukrainian armed forces on the battlefronts to defend themselves against the Russian invasion. In Gaza, devastated by Israel’s war against Hamas, it allowed staff at a field hospital to carry out medical consultations via video in real time.

But Taiwan does not have access to Starlink because SpaceX insisted on having a majority stake in the proposed joint venture, a requirement incompatible with Taiwanese local law. This was one of the reasons that led Taiwan to develop its own technology.

“The communications satellite is very important to our communications resilience during urgent times,” Wu said, calling it his agency’s most sensitive project. “This is very important to us, so we take it very, very seriously.”

A vulnerable network

Taiwan’s unique geopolitical landscape and its location, approximately 160 km from the coast of China, make an ambitious project urgent. China’s ruling Communist Party claims the island as part of its territory and has repeatedly promised to take it by force if necessary.

Currently, Taiwan’s connectivity is served by 15 submarine Internet cables that connect it to the rest of the world. But these cables are susceptible to damage. Last year, a group of Taiwan’s outlying islands were left without internet access for weeks after two undersea cables connecting them to the main island of Taiwan were damaged by passing ships.

High-speed Internet is crucial for the normal functioning of any society, but in the case of Taiwan, a deliberate attempt to sabotage the system could have other repercussions. In a report published by the Institute of National Defense and Security Research, a research body affiliated with the Taiwanese government, experts warned that if Beijing cut Internet cables around Taiwan, it could disrupt regular communications and cause widespread panic.

Taiwanese authorities previously announced that the space agency would develop two communications satellites, the first of which could be launched by 2026. Later, the space agency would also help private companies launch four additional satellites to help them enter the sector. However, Taiwan would need to send hundreds of satellites to create a system that would provide uninterrupted backup Internet access, experts told CNN.

Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University, calculated that Taiwan would need at least 50 satellites to provide “reasonably decent” emergency coverage with its own satellite constellation — and the more the merrier.

“For bandwidth to be truly reliable, so that everyone can use it, it will take many more [satélites]probably in the hundreds,” he stated.

“If a country puts its mind to it, it can definitely complete it,” he added. “Because the hardest part is actually getting the financing to launch them all.”

Su Tzu-yun, director of Taiwan’s Institute of National Defense and Security Research, says that while it is “unrealistic” to think that Taiwan will be able to provide full Internet coverage with just a few local satellites, the space project is valuable in the long term. .

“Taiwan’s development in this area is very significant, because it allows us to enter the space industry and provides greater flexibility for our military to access communication systems in the development of weapons in the future,” he said.

And before Taiwan reaches that capacity, the island could still provide backup connectivity for the foreseeable future through a partnership with OneWeb, a London-based satellite communications system, and other maritime satellite systems, he added.

Strengthen resilience

Ensuring that Taiwan’s communications systems remain functional in extraordinary times has been a growing priority for the island’s top leaders in recent years. In addition to tasking the space agency with the satellite project, Taiwan’s government created a ministry of digital affairs in 2022 to increase communications resilience. This ministry has been establishing partnerships with foreign satellite service providers and installing new terminal equipment in remote locations in Taiwan to provide connectivity.

By the end of 2024, 700 access points will be created across the island to enable satellite communications in emergency situations, authorities announced in March. The initiative proved useful during a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Taiwan in early April.

Although traditional communications systems were disrupted near the epicenter, authorities successfully used OneWeb to provide emergency Internet access to rescue teams and stranded personnel.

In the future, Taiwan’s satellite system could replace agreements with third parties, but Wu, the space agency’s director, declined to provide more specific details about the project’s timing. According to people familiar with the matter, the new administration is expected to release an updated plan and timetable for its space programs, including its communications satellite project, after Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te takes office this week. 20 of May.

Big ambitions in space

Taiwan’s space ambitions go beyond the development of indigenous communications satellites.

Wu said that one of the main goals has been to create a new industry in Taiwan that can capture the growing opportunities in international space projects. Last year, President Tsai Ing-wen announced an investment of 25.1 billion Taiwan dollars ($790 million) in the island’s space programs over the next decade, with the aim of helping companies across various industries – including chip design and precision machinery – entering the space industry.

Despite its relatively small size, Wu believes Taiwan is a desirable location to develop space projects because of its undisputed role as a leader in advanced semiconductor chips – which are needed to power everything from computers to artificial intelligence.

One Taiwanese company in particular, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), produces around 90% of the world’s super-advanced semiconductors and supplies global tech giants like Apple and Nvidia.

In addition to semiconductors, Wu believes that Taiwan’s advances in information technology and precision machinery also provide advantages for the development of its space industry.

“Satellites are very complicated systems,” he said. “In a satellite, there are 20,000 to 30,000 components. Once we send it into space, there’s no way we can call it back and repair it, so it’s very difficult and very expensive.”

To accelerate its development, Taiwan’s space agency has also been working on developing a rocket system that can launch satellites into space. Taiwan has relied on foreign suppliers to send its satellites into space, such as Triton, a local weather satellite launched last year from French Guiana in South America.

“We are working on a launch vehicle and intend to launch rockets into our low Earth orbit from 2030 onwards,” Wu said, referring to satellite orbits with an altitude of less than 1,000 km above Earth. When Taiwan has this technology, it will be able to carry out test flights more frequently.

“We have a solid foundation and, at this moment, I think we are ready to face the adventure more aggressively”, he added.

CNN’s Will Ripley and John Mees contributed to this report