TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Pingtung County Government and the Taiwan Space Agency will co-host the nation's first rocket competition from July 25-27 in Mudan Township, with a live broadcast on July 26 at Pingtung Gymnasium.

The county government held a pre-event press conference Tuesday. Magistrate Chou Chun-mi (周春米) attended alongside students from the National Experimental High School at Pingtung Science Park, one of the participating schools from the county, per CNA.

The competition will feature five university teams and 10 high school teams. Participants are challenged to design rockets that can launch, land safely in the sea, remain afloat, and record flight data throughout the process.

Each rocket must have a total thrust of 4,700 newton-seconds, a peak thrust equivalent to 200 kilograms, a burn time of approximately 3.1 seconds, and weigh less than 28.5 kg. Teams will be evaluated based on their written reports and project demonstrations.

Chou highlighted Pingtung's potential in Taiwan's burgeoning space technology sector, citing its land mass and coastal geography as ideal for development. In March, the National Science and Technology Council announced the establishment of the country's first rocket launch site in Manzhou Township. The space industry has also begun setting up operations in Pingtung Technology Industrial Park, Chou added.

Cheng Tsung-sheng (鄭琮生), director of the education division at Taiwan Space Agency, said the competition is a challenge that combines knowledge from different fields. He noted the agency hopes to use the event to promote space education in Taiwan.

Wu Ping-han (吳秉翰), a participant from the National Experimental High School at Pingtung Science Park, said that building a rocket involves multiple stages. Each stage requires constant adjustments and teamwork.

The county government added that it will host a youth forum and related competition activities from July 27-28. These events will feature topics such as marine environmental exploration, local youth entrepreneurship, the development of Taiwan's rocket program, and the outcomes of this year’s rocket competition.