Launch of NCKU’s hybrid rocket hailed as breakthrough in Taiwan

台灣突破性進展，成大混合動力火箭成功發射

NCKU continues to invest in research of rocket technologies for future space missions


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Chen Kung University (NCKU) on Tuesday (Nov. 8) successfully launched a hybrid-propellant rocket at 1,500 kilogram-force (kgf) of thrust, the first for an academic institution in Taiwan.

The liftoff took place at a beach in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township on Tuesday (Nov. 8) morning.

Weighing 260 kilograms, the rocket is 6.2 meters in length and 34 centimeters in diameter. The rocket motor involves two parts that require two levels of propulsion, one at 1,500 kgf and the other 300 kgf.

The hybrid rocket was developed by a team led by Chao Yei-chin (趙怡欽), chair professor of NCKU’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Its launch marked a breakthrough in the design and manufacturing of motors and components, as well as technologies such as in-flight ignition and separation of propellants, said Chao.

Notably, the rocket carried a Compact Scintillator Array Detector (ComSAD), the first indigenously made cosmic ray detector capable of measuring the direction and energy of cosmic rays. The test serves to better gauge how the device can be put into use in future CubeSat missions at a lower cost, according to NCKU.

The test proved that NCKU has grasped the know-how to increase the propulsive force for hybrid rockets. This allows for the potential acquisition of more space data through the payloads carried on the rockets, said the National Space Organization (NSO).

The National Science and Technology Council, which supervises NSO, added that Taiwan is well-positioned to explore the space frontier by incorporating resources from industry and academia for the development of aerospace industries.