TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s Asfaloth-2025 research rocket took off Saturday to advance Taiwan’s space research efforts.

Taiwan Space Agency and the National Science and Technology Council supervised the launch at Syuhai test site in Pingtung County, per CNA. The mission, known as Asfaloth Launch-2, aimed to strengthen hands-on training for students and test new technical systems.

The single-stage rocket, 6.2 meters long and weighing 198 kilograms, used NYCU’s hybrid engine with 940 kg of thrust and a burn time of 12.4 seconds, per UDN. It reached a peak altitude of 2.8 kilometers within 26 seconds. The test verified parachute deployment and communications reliability.

Professor Tseng Chao-hsiung (曾昭雄), who led payload development, explained that vibration can affect rocket performance and, in severe cases, cause structural failure. To capture vibration data, the team designed a payload subsystem to handle the large data volume.

The mission also featured TASA’s new mobile launch platform, designed for academic use. The platform streamlines preparation by removing separate launch towers, cutting costs and reducing setup time.

Since opening in 2022, the Syuhai site has hosted 10 research rocket launches, including NYCU’s HTTP-3A S2, the first Asfaloth.

The name Asfaloth means “Sunlit Foam” in Sindarin, a constructed Elvish language by J.R.R. Tolkien.