First suborbital launch of Taiwan rocket startup fails
The first suborbital launch of the Taiwan rocket startup Tispace failed today shortly after lift-off from a new commercial spaceport on the northern island of Hokkaido in Japan.
The rocket took off from Hokkaido Space Port at 11:40 a.m. local time, but it was soon seen drifting, with smoke escaping. Footage of the launch was shown by NHK News on its website.
Nobody was reported injured in the incident, and the rocket was not carrying any payload. The first launch of a foreign-made rocket from Hokkaido served to test its engine’s capabilities, the report said.
The rocket startup was formed in 2016 and originally wanted to launch from Taiwan. After legal issues blocked that launch site it then attempted to arrange a launch from Australia. It appears similar red tape issues forced it to switch to Japan.
The first suborbital launch of the Taiwan rocket startup Tispace failed today shortly after lift-off from a new commercial spaceport on the northern island of Hokkaido in Japan.
The rocket took off from Hokkaido Space Port at 11:40 a.m. local time, but it was soon seen drifting, with smoke escaping. Footage of the launch was shown by NHK News on its website.
Nobody was reported injured in the incident, and the rocket was not carrying any payload. The first launch of a foreign-made rocket from Hokkaido served to test its engine’s capabilities, the report said.
The rocket startup was formed in 2016 and originally wanted to launch from Taiwan. After legal issues blocked that launch site it then attempted to arrange a launch from Australia. It appears similar red tape issues forced it to switch to Japan.