Taiwan’s Gen Z space entrepreneurs gain international traction

A new generation of Taiwanese founders is turning space technology and education ventures into internationally recognized businesses, signaling Taiwan's growing role in the space economy. 

A new orbit for Taiwan’s Gen Z innovators

Taiwan’s space sector has long been anchored by state-led research and manufacturing, but a cohort of Gen Z entrepreneurs is now reshaping that narrative.

Armed with technical ingenuity and global exposure, founders such as Thomas Yen (顏伯勳) and Kevin Chen (陳翰琨) are extending Taiwan’s footprint in the international space ecosystem — one through hardware innovation, the other through education and outreach.

Their ventures, Tensor Tech and SIGHT Space, illustrate two different trajectories: technology-focused engineering and grassroots participation. Together, they reflect a broader trend: Taiwan’s emerging generation is not merely participating in the global space race but gaining recognition within it.

Tensor Tech: Engineering that reaches space

Founded by Thomas Yen in 2019, when he was 19, Tensor Tech has drawn international attention for its highly specialized propulsion components, particularly its spherical motor technology.

The company’s unique spherical motor was launched into orbit aboard a mission by SpaceX — a rare achievement for a startup of its scale.

Yen participated in research projects at the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) and the Institute of Space Systems Engineering at National Cheng Kung University during high school. After graduation, he was offered unconditional admission to the Department of Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University (NTU), but he chose to start his own business instead.

At a May 3 event, Yen told TCN that his decision to forgo NTU was rooted in a fundamental distinction between science and engineering. While academic training emphasized articulating the “contribution” of each published paper, Yen said that he came to view tangible products as a more meaningful form of contribution in an engineering context.

Tensor Tech's spherical motor is compact and capable of multi-directional thrust, making it well-suited for the modular, miniaturized satellite systems that define today’s space industry. Such precision has allowed Tensor Tech to move beyond prototype-stage experimentation into real-world application.

Yen told TCN that in conventional satellite design, stability across three axes typically requires three separate single-axis motors. Tensor Tech’s spherical motor delivers thrust across the X, Y, and Z axes with a single unit, significantly reducing onboard space requirements and freeing up capacity for commercially valuable payloads such as imaging and communication equipment.

The motor also reduces overall weight and power consumption, with cost savings of around NT$2 million (US$ 63,230) per satellite.

Tensor Tech’s client base is notably international, with a strong concentration in the United States, Yen said. Its products are compatible with dual-use capabilities, enabling both commercial and potentially defense-related domains. The company also serves customers in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and India.

Looking ahead, Yen emphasized two trajectories shaping the space economy. The first centers on “improving human life on Earth from space,” through applications such as remote sensing and satellite-enabled services. The second, which he characterizes as an “in-space” paradigm, involves relocating existing Earth-based operations into orbit — ranging from manufacturing to data centers in space — an approach he said aligns with the vision of figures like Elon Musk.

These shifts, he told TCN, are already influencing Tensor Tech’s strategic evolution: from initially offering standardized, clearly defined products, the company is increasingly developing configurable solutions tailored to diverse mission scenarios.

Reflecting on Taiwan’s broader industrial positioning, Yen stated that on one hand, Taiwan’s dense and highly responsive contract manufacturing ecosystem makes it, in his words, "a veritable paradise for R&D."

On the other, the island faces a relative shortage of system-level integration talent. Yen said that structural realities persist: prime contractors in countries such as the United States tend to favor domestic suppliers, meaning Taiwanese startups often find greater traction as component providers within global supply chains.

SIGHT Space: Democratizing space exploration

If Tensor Tech represents Taiwan’s hardware frontier, SIGHT Space embodies its educational and participatory one.

Founded by Kevin Chen, another Taiwanese Gen Z space entrepreneur even younger than Yen, SIGHT Space seeks to make space accessible not just as a field of study but as a hands-on endeavor.

SIGHT Space focuses on space education and outreach, encouraging students and enthusiasts to design and even build their own small satellites. Drawing on his background in satellite development, Chen created a product called SMEK — currently the only satellite teaching tool available in the domestic market — for use in middle schools.

SMEK allows students to learn 3D drawing, circuit design and programming, and to assemble their own satellites from the subsystem level up. Chen also designed a complete curriculum to accompany it. 

At the May 3 event, Chen told TCN he has delivered talks to students across Taiwan, from mountainous Nantou to Pingtung in the south, as well as other rural areas. He said the idea of space as something participatory rather than prohibitively distant resonated strongly with younger audiences.

Chen’s journey, in his words, had been marked by a blend of technical engagement and global outreach. He told TCN that “in 2021, I took my first step in the space field with a NASA crowdsourcing proposal for a supercritical CO₂ space washing machine.”

In 2022, he won first place in a CubeSat mission design competition; and in 2023, he won third place in the NASA Rid the Rocket Challenge and represented Taiwan at the Asia Pacific Region Space Agency Forum in Indonesia. Additionally, he built his own satellite and traveled to Brazil to compete in the Latin American Space Challenge, billed as the world's second-largest space challenge.

In 2024, Chen won the TSMC Udreamer project, a competition and mentorship program hosted by the TSMC Education and Culture Foundation to support innovative projects by Taiwanese youth. He also received a grant of NT$1 million from Tzu Chi, a Taiwanese humanitarian and nongovernmental organization whose work in medical aid, disaster relief, and environmental work spans across the globe.

In 2025, he was selected for a government grant to participate in a space exploration cooperation project between Taiwan and New Zealand, held in Oman. SIGHT Space sent a pocket satellite equipped with five strain sensors aboard a rocket from a New Zealand company, with the goal of measuring stress parameters during ascent. 

Chen showed TCN a photo of him with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), saying his work in the space industry had taken him to places and introduced him to people he could not have imagined.

He added that he hopes to enable more people in Taiwan who share the dream of space exploration to bravely pursue their dreams — and that even when the journey is fraught with obstacles, it is by no means impossible.

Taiwan Space Generation: Building a community

Underlying these individual success stories is a broader ecosystem taking shape. Taiwan Space Generation (TSG) is a non-profit that connects students, entrepreneurs, and professionals interested in space.

TSG has played a visible role in fostering dialogue and inspiration. On April 25, it co-hosted an event with TASA featuring an interaction with NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, giving participants a rare opportunity to engage directly with someone who has experienced spaceflight firsthand.

On May 3, TSG organized a space entrepreneurship session, inviting Yen and Chen to present their respective ventures. TSG co-founder and vice president Claire Chang (張芹芸) said the organization's role is to cultivate a sense of community and continuity —  ensuring that Taiwan’s space ambitions are not confined to the isolated efforts of engineers and scientists, but are part of a growing collective movement involving legal and business professionals.

The trajectories of Tensor Tech, SIGHT Space, and TSG reflect a broader shift in what it means to "enter" the space industry.

No longer the exclusive domain of superpowers and large corporations, space is increasingly accessible to agile startups and educational initiatives — provided they can demonstrate value.