A research team at Feng Chia University yesterday successfully launched a scientific research rocket from a site in Pingtung County, after its first attempt failed the previous day.
The small hybrid rocket called the SHSR-Aerol is designed to launch satellites, said Yeh Chun-liang (葉俊良), an academic at Feng Chia University’s Department of Aerospace and Systems Engineering who heads the research team of 25 academics and students.
After the failed launch attempt on Saturday due to an engine problem, the SHSR-Aerol took off yesterday from the site in Syuhai Village (旭海) in Pingtung and reached a height of 200m, as expected by the team, Yeh said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Space Agency
The purpose of the launch was to test the hybrid rocket’s structure, propulsion technology, electronic systems, engine combustion chamber, its navigation, telemetry and control applications, and the mixture of fuel and oxidizer, he said.
The thrust of the hybrid rocket’s engine is about one-third of the full-size rocket’s expected thrust, Yeh said.
When the full-size rocket is complete, it could be used to launch satellites, he said, adding that the projected time line for the first test flight is the second half of next year.
The university is fully aware that satellite and rocket development is the primary focus of Taiwan’s long-term national space technology program, Yeh said.
In February last year, Yeh and his research team at the Taichung-based private university joined the Small Research Rocket Development Project, led by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), to develop a small hybrid research rocket with a propulsion system that can be used for future missions, TASA said in a statement yesterday.
In addition to participating in the TASA rocket research program, the university last year also introduced a graduate program of space system engineering in line with the government’s policy of cultivating talent for the space industry.
As part of the TASA program, a rocket launch site was designated last year in Syuhai Village to be used by institutions engaged in space research.
The SHSR-Aerol became the fifth rocket launched from the site since then, after National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s HT TP-3A S2, National Cheng Kung University’s two-stage hybrid rocket, and Tamkang University’s TKU-MK1 and its 2.87-meter arrow-shaped rocket named Jessie, the TASA said.
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