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Lawrence Chung

Taiwan’s first test of a locally developed satellite launch vehicle failed on Wednesday after the rocket veered off course, terrifying nearby villagers who mistook it for an incoming missile.
The rocket was launched at around 6am local time from the Jiupeng missile testing base in southern Pingtung county.
The base is operated by the government-backed National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan’s top weapons developer.
Witnesses said the projectile climbed briefly before suddenly changing direction away from the sea and towards the mountains.
“Something’s gone wrong! Oh no! The village!” residents could be heard shouting in video footage circulating online.
The rocket finally crashed in an uninhabited mountainous area, sending thick smoke over the hillside. No casualties or property damage were reported.
“If it had veered just a little further, it really could have hit the village directly,” one resident said.
Initial reports identified the projectile as a missile, sparking alarm among residents in Pingtung, where the Jiupeng facility regularly conducts missile tests.
The Pingtung county government called for an immediate investigation and demanded that the NCSIST explain the cause of the incident.
It also urged the institute to suspend missile tests and related exercises until the cause was established, review launch procedures and ensure future trajectories avoided indigenous communities and other residential areas.
“The lives and property of local residents must not be put at risk,” the county government said in a statement.
The mayor of Pingtung’s Mudan township, Pan Chuang-chih, also demanded a prompt explanation, saying residents had been alarmed by the incident.
The NCSIST later clarified that the test did not involve a missile but rather its first experimental satellite launch vehicle.
“An anomaly occurred during the initial trajectory, so the self-destruct mechanism was activated in accordance with the original contingency plan, with the impact point controlled within the planned safety zone,” the institute said.
It said the failed vehicle, engine and debris all fell within designated safety areas rather than privately owned land, causing no casualties or property damage.
A source familiar with the test said ground-based telemetry systems detected an abnormal trajectory and irregular rotation shortly after launch.
“Possible causes include a gyroscope or propulsion-system failure, or a weight-distribution problem with the full-up test vehicle,” the source said.
The NCSIST said telemetry data collected during the flight would be used to modify the vehicle’s design and system parameters.
Despite the setback, experts said the test marked a significant step forward in Taiwan’s development of space-launch technology – capabilities that also hold military potential.


The multistage solid-fuel launch vehicle is being developed to carry small payloads into low Earth orbit at altitudes of more than 500km (310 miles), according to the source.
“The vehicle also incorporates technology for launching multiple satellites,” the source said.
“The technology has potential military significance because satellite launch vehicles and ballistic missiles share key technologies, including solid-fuel propulsion, staging, guidance and flight-control systems.”
The NCSIST previously worked on the Kirin Project, disclosed in 2019, which aimed to develop a solid-fuel launch vehicle capable of placing microsatellites weighing between 50kg and 200kg (110-440lbs) into orbit at an altitude of about 500km. Its recent progress remains unknown.
Experts said that while the current project was conceived as a civilian space programme, its propulsion, staging and guidance technologies could potentially boost surface-to-surface missile capabilities.
“The necessary technology is already available. If development succeeds, it would demonstrate that the NCSIST has the capability to launch satellites into low Earth orbit,” Chang Cheng, former chief engineer of the institute’s Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missile programme, said in Taoyuan on Wednesday.
Asked about potential military uses, Chang said much would depend on the NCSIST’s future plans, but reaching an altitude of 500km left “considerable scope for further applications”.
Another missile expert, who declined to be named, said the technologies used in a rocket reaching such an altitude could theoretically be adapted for a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of 1,500km to 2,000km if its flight profile and payload were significantly altered.
“The NCSIST space programme underscores the dual-use nature of space-launch technology, with civilian launch vehicles and ballistic missiles sharing many of the same fundamental technologies,” the expert said.


Wednesday’s failed launch was not the first mishap at Jiupeng, Taiwan’s main missile research and testing facility.
In August 2023, a US-made Patriot II missile exploded seconds after launch during a live-fire exercise, although a second one was successfully fired and hit its target.
Earlier that month, four people were injured in an explosion during the disposal of leftover propellant materials at the base.
In June 2022, a propellant anomaly in a locally developed Thunderbolt-2000 multiple-launch rocket system caused an in-tube explosion that damaged the launcher during a live-fire drill. No injuries were reported.
In 2017, two US-made Hawk surface-to-air missiles deviated from their planned trajectories due to abnormal propellant combustion, later detonating safely within restricted areas without causing casualties.


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Pingtung county government demands explanation after off-course rocket alarms villagers before crashing in remote area


Pingtung county government demands explanation after off-course rocket alarms villagers before crashing in remote area.


National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology

Taiwan-made satellite launcher fails first test, triggers missile panic

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Pingtung county government demands explanation after off-course rocket alarms villagers before crashing in remote area

Pingtung county government demands explanation after off-course rocket alarms villagers before crashing in remote area