The Ministry of Science and Technology has designated a government-owned property as a site for launching sounding rockets, which could pave the way for soliciting commercial opportunities for the nation’s space technology, academics said.
The ministry on June 4 released a 16-page draft of guidelines governing security issues on launch sites for sounding rockets, which carry instruments for scientific research.
The ministry is to gather public opinions about the guidelines until Wednesday next week.
According to the draft guidelines, researchers should file an application with the ministry 30 days before a launch, and include plans for the simulated flight path, landing zone for rocket components and emergency response measures.
Researchers now launch sounding rockets at military bases or from idle land, but the guidelines show that the ministry has designated a seaside plot in Pingtung’s Mudan Township (牡丹) as a site for launches.
Sounding rockets carry instruments up to 300km above ground and return to Earth after the mission, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Shieh Dar-bin (謝達斌) said on Thursday.
The planned site is a property that the ministry has borrowed from the National Property Administration and is “one of the ministry’s candidate venues,” he said.
While the draft guidelines do not cover the launch of commercial rockets, it might be a way out for Taiwan Innovative Space Inc (TiSPACE), whose first test-launch has hit a snag.
Founded in 2016, TiSPACE is the nation’s first commercial rocket company. Last year, it planned to test-launch its Hapith I rocket from a site in Taitung County’s Nantian Village (南田), but the plan was suspended because of a dispute over the site’s legitimacy.
The Taitung County Government said in a news release on April 9 that construction on the site is illegal, and has issued several fines to the firm. Taiwan Power Co has cut power supply to the site.
The company is not under the ministry’s purview, but it could consider paying rent to use the Mudan site when it is ready, Shieh said.
The rent would be different for academic and commercial teams, but the lease standards are not yet ready, he added.
Asked if it would consider leasing the new site, TiSPACE said it could not comment as the draft has not been finalized.
Space science academics welcomed the ministry’s plan.
It is “very good” that the government has finally decided to establish such a site, National Central University Department of Space Science and Engineering director Chao Chi-kuang (趙吉光) said.
The site is adjacent to the Jioupeng Military Base, which the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology uses to test missiles, he added.
Although the site has been designated for scientific research, it might be open to commercial applications in the future, he said.
National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) mechanical engineering professor Gou Chong-sin (吳宗信) also lauded the plan.
Known for establishing the Advanced Rocket Research Center at NCTU in 2012, he said he founded TiSPACE, but left the firm in 2018 due to differences in opinion with other company members.
The ministry’s planned site might only be a temporary establishment, as it is only 1 to 2 hectares — which would be inadequate for bigger rocket launches or commercial development, and would also be used by the military at times, he said.
To build a national rocket launch base, the government should consider finding a 100 to 200 hectare plot equipped with launch pad facilities and electricity supply, he said, adding that the nation needs a “Space Act” to complete related requirements.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS