As the global space race intensifies, Taiwan’s ambitions in orbit are evolving rapidly. What began as an industry focused primarily on supplying components is now advancing toward full satellite system design and integration. The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) has been central to this shift. Over more than three decades, the agency has progressed from purchasing foreign-built satellites to absorbing external technologies and, eventually, to designing spacecraft independently—an effort to translate Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and ICT into an entry point to the global space supply chain. Its latest mission, Formosat-8, stands as a pivotal test of that strategy.