[00:00.00]A Taiwanese business is seeking to become the first foreign company to launch a rocket from Japan.
[00:09.64]The planned launch comes as Japan keeps on a path to invest $26 billion in its space agency over the next 10 years.
[00:23.35]The idea is to create a space hub for other nations in Asia.
[00:31.03]The private Taiwanese company is called TiSpace.
[00:36.36]It was started in 2016 by current and former officials from the country's space agency.
[00:45.48]It has not yet completed a successful rocket launch.
[00:50.17]TiSpace's most recent launch attempt came in 2022.
[00:57.29]The effort was in cooperation with Australian company AtSpace.
[01:03.30]The launch attempt failed because of a fuel-related issue.
[01:08.74]The rocket to be launched in Japan is a different design.
[01:13.23]There has been some opposition in Japan to the country's plans to contract with foreign businesses for space activities.
[01:24.47]But TiSpace chairman Yen-sen Chen told Reuters he thinks the planned launch should make "a very good case" for Japan's government.
[01:37.35]Chen said his company was waiting on one last government approval before the rocket launch can be set.
[01:46.59]The launch will involve a sounding rocket that could happen by early 2025.
[01:54.19]A sounding rocket can fly to space but does not reach orbit.
[02:00.60]Some industry experts have suggested that China could oppose the launching of a Taiwanese rocket from Japan.
[02:10.96]China claims Taiwan as its own territory.
[02:15.40]But Chen said he had not yet heard any concerns from China.
[02:21.27]A representative from China's foreign ministry told Reuters it did not have detailed information about the planned rocket launch.
[02:32.98]In Japan, the government's Cabinet Office said "free economic and research activities are guaranteed in Japan" within the structure of the country's existing laws and regulations.
[02:49.58]TiSpace is the only Taiwanese company seeking rocket launches in Japan.
[02:57.22]One of the company's other co-founders, Wu Jong-shinn, is currently head of Taiwan's space agency.
[03:06.96]Agency officials had no comment on TiSpace's plans and said all its launch services are carried out through government contracts.
[03:19.29]The company's launch plans have won support among some Japanese space businesses, especially in the rural town of Taiki.
[03:31.02]That is where TiSpace's launch will take place.
[03:35.62]Space officials and industry experts say it is a good thing that Japan is inviting foreign companies to use its space services.
[03:48.25]Yuko Nakagawa is a ruling-party lawmaker who represents Taiki and neighboring communities.
[03:57.66]She said she sees the TiSpace project as "a symbol of Taiwan-Japan friendship."
[04:05.78]She noted that the addition of more international businesses to the area can help create a large space complex to serve a number of nations.
[04:18.97]Japanese officials have said they want the country's private space industry to be worth more than $50 billion by the early 2030s.
[04:32.03]The space program could include up to 30 rocket launches a year.
[04:38.13]Reuters reported that Japan is negotiating a space technology agreement with the United States that could open the door for private American rocket launches in Japan.
[04:54.74]I'm Bryan Lynn.
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Words in This Story
hub - n. a place that is the center of a particular activity
regulation - n. an official rule meant to control an activity or process
symbol - n. a sign or object that is used to represent something
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