TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Environment (MOENV) said Tuesday (Nov. 12) it hoped to collaborate with NASA to launch joint satellites to detect air pollution.

Taiwan, NASA, and several Southeast Asian nations began cooperating on a project early this year to measure cross-border air pollution in the region. A two-day meeting in Taiwan has been presenting the results of the “Seven Seas” project, Radio Taiwan International reported.

The effort found that air pollution in Taiwan was less serious than in nearby developed countries, including Japan and South Korea, Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) said. Nevertheless, the MOENV will strengthen its testing and supervision of factories based on the report.

Peng expressed the hope that the MOENV would enter the satellite era by having NASA help with Taiwan satellite launches to research air pollution. The project would make a major contribution to the research and understanding of regional environmental problems, he said.