Both Japan and South Korea are accelerating plans for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), aiming to expand satellite-based communications beyond traditional ground infrastructure. In the early stages, both nations collaborated with Starlink, but Japan has outpaced South Korea in developing mobile direct-to-satellite services.
China successfully launched its Kinetica-1 rocket this week, sending two Zhongke satellites and Pakistan's PRSC-HS1 remote-sensing satellite into orbit — the third Pakistani satellite China has helped deploy since 2025. The mission underscores Beijing's deepening cooperation with Islamabad in space and its growing ambitions in the global commercial launch market.
As governments and businesses worldwide demand greater communications resilience, relying solely on terrestrial mobile networks and fixed-line infrastructure no longer suffices.
The global space economy is entering a period of rapid expansion, triggering a wide-scale reorganization of investment flows and supply chains. At the center of this transformation, Taiwan is positioning itself to capitalize on its strength in ground-based satellite technologies, particularly in high-performance antenna systems critical for low Earth orbit (LEO) communications.
Senior US Space Force generals warned that China has become the nation's top threat in space, rapidly expanding its orbital military capabilities to challenge American forces.
Amid growing concerns over overreliance on the United States for security—and the strategic uncertainty caused by "America First" policies—the European Union is deepening space cooperation with Japan, aiming to develop independent space capabilities and access a broader commercial space market.
In recent months, space has become an increasingly contested domain. Unusual orbital behavior by a Russian military satellite—seen repeatedly approaching foreign government and commercial satellites and allegedly releasing unidentified objects—has alarmed Western defense agencies. China's satellites, too, have conducted risky maneuvers, raising global concerns over the need for enhanced space defense capabilities.
