Free public registration for Taiwan space conference opening 8 November in Tainan

The Taiwan Aerospace Science, Technology and Industry conference and expo (TASTI 2026) opens on 8 November at the Greater Tainan Convention and Exhibition Centre. That day is designated "Public Day", and members of the public can register to attend free of charge.

TASTI 2026 is scheduled for 8 to 11 November 2026. It is co-organised by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) and the Tainan City Government, with guidance from the National Science and Technology Council. It is the third edition and is held every two years. The organiser says it expects more than 18 countries, over 3,500 professionals and more than 75 domestic and foreign exhibitors. These figures are the organiser's own advance estimates, not final counts. According to a Central News Agency report of 20 April 2026, this was an announcement made about half a year before the event.

A four-day conference, three days of exhibition, with the public admitted on day one

The conference plans 23 thematic forums covering the space industry, technology and policy, plus a forum for foreign representative offices. It runs alongside the 15th International Nanosatellite Symposium (NSAT+) and the 9th meeting of the Asia Oceania Space Weather Alliance (AOSWA). The overall theme is "Trusted in Space, Resilient on Earth".

The TASTI EXPO space industry exhibition runs from 8 to 10 November. The first day, 8 November, is Public Day, with free registration open to the public. We could not verify how to register or whether places are already full, so check with the organiser before you go.

Who is on stage: space representatives from the US, Poland, Japan and Israel

According to a Commercial Times report of 27 October 2026, Paul Tilghman, chief technology officer of US firm Voyager Technologies, Marta Ewa Wachowicz, head of the Polish Space Agency, and Yasuo Ishii, senior vice president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), are due to speak. Shimrit Maman, chair of the Israel Space Agency, will give a pre-recorded talk on 9 November.

Some sessions will use the 32 technology gaps for long-term lunar presence listed by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a discussion framework.

One point needs to be clear: the reports we reviewed do not describe any specific US-Taiwan space cooperation agreement or bilateral programme. The US attendee is a company's chief technology officer, and the NASA list is only discussion material. If there are claims that US-Taiwan cooperation is "under study", we found no public information to support them.

FORMOSAT-8: progress of the first satellite

The first FORMOSAT-8 satellite, named Zeppelin, reached orbit in November 2025 and began imaging in January 2026. By February 2026 its images had reached the 1-metre native resolution specification, which image processing can improve to 0.7 metres.

According to a Public Television Service report of 14 May 2026, FORMOSAT-8 was expected to begin formal operations in July 2026. The constellation will have 8 satellites, with a target of at least one launch a year and all in orbit by 2031. The last satellite is targeted at 30-centimetre resolution. We could not verify whether formal operations began in July as planned, nor find a firm launch date for the second satellite.

Space jobs are growing, mostly in manufacturing and research

Data from 104 Job Bank show that Taiwan's space industry job listings were roughly flat from 2023 to 2024, then rose in 2025 from 21,976 to 24,526, an increase of about 2,550. Note that this is an estimate based on the maximum count of listings on the 104 platform, not an official statistic.

The three categories with the largest increases in 2025 were:

• Production, manufacturing, quality control and environmental health: from 3,518 to 4,484 (+966)
• Research and development: from 4,763 to 5,548 (+785)
• Materials, logistics and transport: from 601 to 1,259 (+658)

The same data show the median salary in the space industry was about NT$42,000 in 2025, up NT$1,000 from NT$41,000 in 2024. Two of the three fastest-growing categories are supporting roles in manufacturing, quality control and logistics.

If you want to see it for yourself

For general readers, 8 November Public Day is the day that reports explicitly say is open to the public with free registration, provided you first confirm the registration arrangements.

Prices and details correct as of November 2026

Compiled by the F50 Editorial Team from public sources, for general reference only and not professional advice. Details are correct as of the publication date and may change.