Taipei: Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) announced Wednesday that it has selected Jiupeng Village in Pingtung County's Manjhou Township as the location for the country's national space mission launch site.

According to Focus Taiwan, the decision was the result of a comprehensive review conducted by an inter-agency panel, which evaluated environmental conditions, launch conditions, development execution, and potential for further development, as stated in a news release from the Cabinet-level NSTC. The site was chosen due to its advantages in terms of land acquisition, size, usability, and lack of environmentally sensitive areas, the council said.

Both Jiupeng Village in Pingtung and Liubetj indigenous village in Taitung County's Daren Township met the basic criteria for space technology development, the NSTC said, but the Pingtung site had clearer advantages. NSTC officials mentioned that the National Launch Site will help promote the nation's space industry and be integrated with local efforts to boost technology, education, and tourism, such as the construction of a space-themed museum.

Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi expressed her enthusiasm on Facebook, stating, "The space industry is ready to take off in Pingtung!" The next steps involve more detailed planning and environmental evaluations, with the project expected to be completed by 2030 or 2031 at the earliest, the NSTC said.

The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), which operates under the NSTC, was established in 2023 following the restructuring of the National Space Organization (NSPO), TASA's website mentioned. The space agency already operates a Sounding Rocket Launch Site in Pingtung County's Mudan Township, where rocket research test flights have been conducted since 2022, according to the agency's official website.

TASA focuses on "enhancing the Taiwan space technology research and development capabilities, implementing national space policies and plans, and promoting Taiwan space activities and the development of the space industry," as stated on its website.