By Stephanie Dwilson | 2026-02-25

A bipartisan bill that proposes to deepen and expand space cooperation between the United States and Taiwan is one step closer to becoming US law.

The Taiwan and American Space Assistance Act of 2025, known as the TASA Act, has been incorporated into the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 as a unanimously approved amendment.

It seeks to strengthen collaboration between the United States and Taiwan, and to bolster the US role as a leader in international space partnerships through the establishment of a "vital partnership" in the Indo-Pacific.

Introduced in September by two members of the US House of Representatives -- French Hill, a Republican, and Gabe Amo, a Democrat -- the TASA Act has 16 co-sponsors and has received strong bipartisan support.

The bill passed the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology on February 4, with a unanimous vote.

Now it has passed committee review, the TASA Act must be approved by the full House of Representatives and the US Senate, before it can be presented to the US President and signed into law, as part of the NASA Reauthorization Act.

Inside the TASA Act

If the TASA Act becomes law, it will give NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) additional authority to work with the Taiwan Space Agency, encouraging collaboration in areas such as:

• Satellite programs
• Space research and applications
• Atmospheric research and projects
• Science education

"The bill strengthens civilian space cooperation between NASA, NOAA, and Taiwan’s Space Agency, including collaboration on satellites, exploration, and atmospheric research," Hill said in a statement.

"As Taiwan continues to develop its space program, this cooperation highlights the strength of the US-Taiwan partnership and our commitment to allies in the region," he said.

Hill noted that US support also will "encourage Taiwan to continue investing in its growing space capabilities."

The legislation directs the administrators of NASA and the NOAA, in coordination with the US Secretary of State, to begin working with Taiwan no less than 90 days after it becomes law.

They will then be required to brief relevant committees in the US Congress at regular intervals on their progress.

"From the first steps on the moon to the next generation of space discovery, American leadership has been bolstered by strong partnerships across borders," Amo said, referring to a long legacy of collaboration in science and technology.

Taiwan Space Agency

The Taiwan Space Agency is a relatively young organization that launched in January 2022. Its creation came after Taiwan announced a goal in 2019 of investing $25.1 billion in its space capabilities over the next decade.

Despite its young age, the Taiwan Space Agency has been busy.

On November 28 (November 29 in Taiwan), the agency launched the Formosat-8 Chi Po-lin satellite (FS-8A) aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US state of California.

The FS-8A is the initial satellite that will be part of Taiwan’s first domestically produced optical remote sensing constellation.

In early February, the space agency released the satellite’s first public images after undertaking more than 100 imaging tests. The quality of the images was a success, exceeding design specifications, per the Focus Taiwan outlet.

The Formosat-8 project is projected to include eight remote-sensing satellites.

The constellation's second satellite is expected to launch on a SpaceX rocket by the end of this year.