's unique "Light of Taiwan" has recently been added.
The picture comes from Taiwanese media
Recently, Taiwan’s first hybrid “rocket-like” HTTP-3A was tested and launched in Pingtung. From launch to falling into the sea, it took a total of 2 minutes and reached a maximum height of 3 kilometers. Although it is still far from the scheduled target of flying for 10 minutes and shooting to a height of 12 kilometers, and the effective flight time is only 30 seconds, the Taiwan launch team later announced that the launch had achieved "99.9% success."
The picture comes from Taiwanese media
The "quasi-rocket" has achieved "quasi-success", and of course not only the launch team is excited. "Doctor Lei" Tsai Ing-wen immediately sent out the prepared copy, announcing that "this is a historic moment"! "It has a very important milestone", and we will continue to strongly support the development of space technology and "lead Taiwan to fly into the universe"! A press release from the Democratic Progressive Party stated that the rocket "is the world's first hybrid rocket with guidance and control technology. Although it does not fly at a high altitude, it is a major breakthrough in technology! Taiwan's independent satellite launches are a big step forward." Step! "
These "praises" are enough to scare people. But unfortunately, they used their ax to get in front of Luban . When it comes to launching rockets, there are not many people in this world who have seen it more than we do. Of course, when comparing results with the "provincial team", we don't need to use the results of the "national team" to bully others. Take mainland universities as an example:
On July 4, 2022, the "Feitian-1" rocket ramjet combination power developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University was successfully launched from a base in northwest China.
Not long ago, School of Aerospace of Northwestern Polytechnical University successfully launched the "Feitian-1" rocket developed by itself. This solid-liquid mixed four-stage rocket not only has the ability to quickly enter orbit, but can also carry the satellite weighing more than 300 kilograms, which is exactly equivalent to the total weight of Taiwan's "similar rocket". The real excellence of "Feitian-1" is that it has broken through a number of key technologies and verified for the first time in the world the "kerosene fuel rocket ramjet combined cycle engine rocket/sub-fuel, sub-fuel, super-fuel, rocket/super-fuel" Smooth modal transition and wide-area comprehensive capabilities”, in other words, this is truly “first in the world”.
On the morning of April 23, 2019, Xiamen University's "Kyageng-1" rocket was successfully launched in the uninhabited area of the desert in northwest my country.
If it is a bit unethical to use Western Polytechnic University rocket, we can take another common case that is closer to Taiwan: the "Kiagen-1" rocket developed by Xiamen University in 2019, with a long It is 8.7 meters in diameter, 2.5 meters in diameter, weighs 3,700 kilograms, shoots to a height of more than 26 kilometers, and can be successfully recovered at a designated landing site. In comparison, Taiwan's "HTTP-3A", which is 4.8 meters tall, 0.7 meters in diameter and weighs 365 kilograms, has an actual flight capacity of only 30 seconds and can only be considered a toddler.
The picture comes from Taiwanese media
To put it more directly, real rockets need to "point where they want to go", while Taiwan's rockets "go wherever they go" and can indeed only be regarded as nondescript "quasi-rockets". Many people ridicule Taiwan's rocket launch as being like a shopping platform's bargain marketing and "99.9% successful" because they don't understand how difficult it is for them to make progress on this track.
Before this "successful launch", the HTTP-3A rocket had been tested and launched, but all three attempts were canceled due to malfunctions. But even if it is unreliable, the results of the test launch can be characterized as "98% successful" by the team. Because during the test launch in May, the rocket crashed due to "excessive wind and rain" and did not even have a chance to ignite. What's even more outrageous is that when the previous generation "HTTP-2" rocket was tested in 2013, it lost contact with the ground just 2 seconds after it took off, and it was not known where it landed in the end.
Therefore, it is understandable why they are so excited about this "rocket-like" that flew 3 kilometers, why it is a "historic moment" and "a big step forward"! In the words of Wu Zongxin, director of Taiwan's "Space Center", "No matter how many times you try on the ground without actually flying, it is useless. The actual flight off the ground is very important."
Well, it is indeed very important!
Because the space industry represented by "rocket-like" is one of the "big cakes" Tsai Ing-wen drew after taking office, and is the key to the so-called "six core strategic industries" in Taiwan. Starting in 2019, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have compiled a 10-year, NT$25.1 billion "third phase space program", promising to launch an average of one self-produced satellite every year. As a result, so far, the two microsatellites "Flying Squirrel" and "Yushan" launched by the United States at the cost of money have lost contact in the sky, and the homemade rocket "Flying Squirrel 1" shipped to Australia for launch burned directly during ignition...
To put it bluntly, in After various launch tragedies and before major elections, the DPP authorities desperately needed a rocket that could leave the ground. Even if it doesn't fly long or high and is just a large " sky cannon ", it is enough if it can serve as a life-saving straw at this time.
Source: Strait Shinkansen
