TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) will launch a rocket from a base in Pingtung County Sunday (July 21) with the aim of reaching a height of 3,000 meters.

The projectile, named Asfaloth after a fast white horse in “The Lord of the Rings,” is the work of the Hsinchu-based college’s Aerospace Systems and Aerodynamics (ASARe) Lab.

The team said the rocket is advanced and complex, per CNA. The project aims to achieve a launch and reach the target height of 3,000 m.

A first attempt to launch the Asfaloth in November 2023 was canceled as the engine failed to perform as expected during the final test of the propulsion system. The team said it identified the problem and took its time to add improvements to the rocket.

Since its founding in 2020, the ASARe Lab has maintained close contact with aerospace and space programs overseas. In 2022, the group launched a pilot balloon from the Hsuhai site in Pingtung County and participated for the first time in the Spaceport America Cup.

In last month’s edition of the intercollegiate rocket competition, the lab successfully launched and recovered a rocket in the desert. The team also cooperated with Malaysia to produce and launch a stratosphere balloon last year.