Taiwan, Poland ink MOU to forge space cooperation: Polish official

Kaohsiung, Dec. 2 (CNA) The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) to lay out a framework for forging closer cooperation in the space industry between the two countries.

Michał Wierciński, vice president for industry cooperation at POLSA, told CNA about the MOU at the Taiwan International Assembly of Space Science, Technology, and Industry (TASTI) 2024 being held in Kaohsiung.

Based on the MOU, Taiwanese and Polish companies and academics will seek to explore cooperation possibilities in the areas of telecommunications and cloud-based or earth observation services, Wierciński said.

The Polish official is heading a Polish delegation at the event to showcase his country's competitiveness in diverse fields related to the space industry.

TASTI is an annual event organized by TASA that aims to bring together experts from various fields in the sector and allow them to share their insights.

This year's event kicked off on Monday and will run through Dec. 4 at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center.

Noting that Poland is taking part in the event for the first time this year, Wierciński said that POLSA and TASA previously agreed to sign an MOU to boost two-way cooperation on space on the sidelines of the Space Symposium 2024 held in Colorado Springs in April.

Wierciński admitted that Poland is a newcomer in the space industry, compared with other European powers such as France or Germany, but it has made outstanding progress since joining the European Space Agency in 2012, he said.

It now has a cluster of around 70 companies with highly energetic and skilled engineers, and at a time when Poland's small- and- medium-sized space companies are looking beyond the saturated European market, "Taiwan is on our list," he said.

Wierciński hailed Taiwan's advanced satellite manufacturing capability, and said he was also impressed with its research and development in rockets.

All this offers great potential for engagement between Taiwan and Poland, capable of bringing mutual benefits to the two sides, he said.