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Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition - TADTE 2023 was held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center from September 14th to 16th. It attracted participation from nearly 300 companies from 10 countries, utilizing nearly a thousand booths, making it the largest exhibition in its 16-year history. Due to its unprecedented scale, President Tsai also visited the event. Over the three days of the exhibition, it drew more than 30,000 visitors, including over 720 international business professionals from 55 countries. The top five source countries were the United States, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and India, and exhibitors were highly satisfied with the results and inquired about participation in the next exhibition.

To showcase the completeness and abundance of the space industry chain, with support from the National Science Council and the Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Taiwan Space Agency collaborated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute to organize the "Taiwan Space Pavilion." It featured 45 domestic companies, academic institutions, and corporations, showcasing emerging space technologies such as satellite and rocket components. The exhibition had two main themes: "Satellite Key Components, Systems, and Vehicles" and "Ground Communication Terminal Equipment and Next-Generation Communication Key Modules." It also included over 100 innovative technical products in areas like testing and verification, advanced materials and processing, satellite image processing, etc. This attracted over 130 companies from Taiwan and abroad, including the United States, Europe, India, and other renowned satellite industry players. The National Space Organization's newly initiated in-orbit rocket project was also presented for the first time, systematically demonstrating Taiwan's strong capabilities and plans in the space industry, as well as its ambition to enter the international market.

The exhibition focused on four main themes: "Soaring the Skies," "Exploring the Universe," "Strengthening Defense," and "Industry Integration." It showcased cutting-edge technologies, innovative products, and manufacturing capabilities in aviation, space, defense, unmanned systems, and vehicles. The space industry, in particular, aims to target domestic niches and international market trends. Since 2020, the Industrial Technology Research Institute has supported various companies through financing guidance and theme-based subsidy programs, creating a conducive environment for the industry's development, advancing the rapid progress of low-earth orbit satellite ground communication systems and application subsystems (vehicle-mounted, maritime, aviation, residential, etc.). Six companies have obtained nearly NT$1.45 billion in export financing quotas, and three companies are in the process of applying for these quotas. Furthermore, we have begun to assist a total of 19 companies in forming 9 research and development teams, focusing on the development of low-earth orbit satellite terminal equipment and key technologies. This effort aims to strengthen the integration capabilities of terminal equipment systems and accelerate their entry into the global low-earth orbit satellite production and supply chain.

In the next stage of space development, models of an entry-orbit rocket made their debut. In addition to successful collaboration between the aforementioned companies and domestic and international industry chains, Taiwan Space Agency's exhibition featured exciting items. It included models of current and planned missions, such as the upcoming Hunter, Formosat-8, B5G Low Earth Orbit Communication Satellite, satellite launch rockets, and the Hunter mission payload global positioning system reflection signal receiver (GNSS-R), X-band transmitter, hydrogen peroxide propulsion components/subsystems, reaction wheels, and 43 domestic satellite components and technologies. These domestically manufactured components have the potential to help Taiwan tap into the global satellite market opportunities. The initial design model of the in-orbit rocket project officially launched this year was also showcased for the first time. According to the Taiwan Space Agency, the model displayed at the exhibition is only a scaled-down version. The actual rocket will reach a height of 25 meters, a diameter of 2.2 meters, a weight of 37 tons, and a payload capacity of 200 kilograms. Its primary goal is to reach a low-earth orbit of 300 kilometers, becoming the highlight of the entire Taiwan Space Pavilion. In addition, academic institutions like Yang Ming Chiao Tung University's Advanced Rocket Research Center (ARRC) showcased a hybrid propulsion rocket they developed independently, while Central University, National Cheng Kung University, Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tamkang University, and Feng Chia University each presented research and exploration rocket-related results and technical introductions, demonstrating the achievements of the next generation of rocket technology talents.

Director Wu Chongsin of the Taiwan Space Agency stated that space technology is a key focus of Taiwan's active development. The "Taiwan Space Pavilion" will help connect Taiwan's space industry chain and establish effective networking. It is expected to promote Taiwan's space technology and products in the international market, penetrating the international space industry supply chain. In addition to the two main exhibition areas of "Satellite Key Components, Systems, and Vehicles" and "Ground Communication Terminal Equipment and Next-Generation Communication Key Modules," the Taiwan Space Pavilion also includes sections on "Satellite Components," "Satellite Image Processing," "Advanced Materials and Processing," "Corporations/Associations and Academic Institutions," "Satellite Systems and Vehicles," "Ground Equipment," and "Testing and Verification," offering visitors a diverse array of space technology content. Furthermore, on the second day of the exhibition, on September 15th, the "Taiwan Space Technology Development Symposium" and "When We Meet in Space - Space Startup Business Model Seminar" were held, where experts from different fields shared their observations and insights, promoting the sharing of space knowledge and collaboration between government, industry, and academia.

Taiwan's space industry has seen rapid growth in recent years, garnering international attention. This has led to renowned U.S. satellite and system companies like AERKOMM, Lockheed Martin, L3HARRIS, and Raytheon Technologies, as well as British satellite launch and system companies like Northrop Grumman, Inmarsat, and BAE Systems, and satellite-related startups from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and India, actively participating in the aerospace exhibition. Twenty-four institutions from Taiwan participated in the industry exchange activities hosted during the conference, presenting their latest products, increasing their brand visibility, and facilitating business matching. The 2023 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition has become the best showcase for Taiwan's space industry, providing an important platform for professionals in the domestic space technology and defense industry sectors to interact. It also serves as a drumbeat, leading Taiwan's industries on an exciting journey into the space market, attracting global opportunities.

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