Ministry planning low-orbit satellite launch in 2025 By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter Taiwan’s first low-orbit communications satellite would be launched by 2025, and the government has budgeted NT$4 billion (US$140.62 million) for its development, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said yesterday. The Beyond 5G communications satellite would be jointly developed by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Wu told a news conference in Taipei. The program seeks to help local companies make inroads into the emerging low-orbit satellite communications industry, led by US rocket supplier SpaceX’s Starlink program, he said. Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Taipei yesterday.