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TiSPACE

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Taiwan Innovative Space Inc.
IndustrySpace launch
Founded2016
FounderDr. Yen-Sen Chen
Headquarters
Chunan, Miaoli County
,
Taiwan
Number of employees
104[1] (2019)
Websitewww.tispace.com

TiSPACE, officially Taiwan Innovative Space Inc. (Chinese: 台灣晉陞太空股份有限公司), is a space launch company from Taiwan.[2]

History

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TiSPACE was founded in 2016 by a group of investors, scientists, and engineers led by Yen-Sen Chen who had previously worked at the NSPO and at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.[3] In 2019 they signed an MOU with National Central University to promote domestic space launch and the space technology sector. They also attended the International Astronautical Congress, a first for a Taiwanese company.[1]

TiSPACE scrapped their launch facility in Taiwan due to legal issues. In August 2021 TiSPACE announced plans to launch from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in Australia rather than Taiwan. They received the first flight approval permit ever issued by the Australian government.[4]

Facilities

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Structural dynamics tests are performed at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering.[5]

Hot fire test facility

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TiSPACE conducts engine tests at its vertical hot fire test facility.[5]

Nantian launch facility

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TiSPACE’s launch facility is located in the Nantian are of Taitung county. According to TiSPACE the facility features "launch pad, launch support rail, an oxidizer filling facility, vehicle/payload assembly building, launch command center, and tracking/communication antenna."[5]

Launch vehicles

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HAPITH I (Kestrel I)

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HAPITH I (known as Kestrel I when operated by ATSpace)[6] is a two stage sub-orbital rocket designed to validate TiSPACE's hybrid-propellant rocket system. The HAPITH I has 100% domestically sourced components.[3] Hapith is Saisiyat for flying squirrel.[1]

The first launch of the HAPITH I was scheduled for December 27, 2019 but was called off after protest from the local indigenous community. With the blessings of the community the launch was rescheduled for February 13 and was to include a Paiwan blessing of the rocket.[7] The February 13 launch was scrubbed due to weather.[8][9] As of August 2021, the first launch of HAPITH I was scheduled to take place at Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex, South Australia, in late 2021.[10]

On 16 September 2021, 06:39 UTC[11][12] the Hapith I rocket (flight VS01[13]) launched from Whalers Way Pad 1 on a suborbital test flight. This was the maiden flight of Hapith I and first of three test launches from Pad 1 at Whalers Way.[14] The rocket started to climb off the launch pad, but caught fire and fell over, supposedly due to pipework failure. Fire was [15] Intended apogee of the flight was 250 km (160 mi).[16] As payload the rocket carried an Ionosphere Scintillation Package (ISP)[17] for NSPO for the purpose of Ionospheric scintillation research.

Two more test launches of the vehicle, conducted by ATSpace under the Kestrel I name, are scheduled for late 2022.[6]

HAPITH I has two stages; the first stage has 4 motors, and the second stage has a single motor. All motors are similar, having a composite outer shell with styrene-butadiene rubber as fuel and nitrous oxide as oxidizer.[18]

HAPITH V

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The HAPITH V is a three stage orbital rocket in development from the HAPITH I with an approximate height of 20 m, a diameter of 2.2 m, and a first stage thrust of 650 kN. The target payload is 390 kg to LEO and 350 kg to SSO. It will be TiSPACE’s first commercial offering.[19]

HAPITH V has three stages; the first stage has 5 motors, the second stage has 4 motors, and the third stage has a single motor. All motors are similar, having a composite outer shell with styrene-butadiene rubber as fuel and nitrous oxide as oxidizer.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Chia-nan, Lin (15 December 2019). "FEATURE: Firm sets sights on heavens as space industry develops". www.taipeitimes.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Taiwan's TiSPACE Enters Crowded Small Satellite Launch Market With Large Ambitions". spacewatch.global. Space Watch. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b "About". TiSPACE. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  4. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (23 August 2021). "Taiwan Innovative Space will conduct a test launch of its Hapith I rocket in Australia later this year". TechCrunch. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Hapith V Launch Vehicle Payload User's Manual. Taiwan: TiSPACE. November 1, 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b Tran, Vi (2 August 2022). "Southern Launch and ATSpace to launch two test rockets". Space Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  7. ^ Lee Shien-feng; Chiang Yi-ching (10 February 2020). "Taiwan to launch first indigenous rocket Feb. 13". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. ^ Chung, Jake (14 February 2020). "Bad weather stops HAPITH-1 rocket launch". Taipei Times. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  9. ^ Lu Tai-cheng; Chiang Yi-ching (13 February 2020). "Launch of first indigenous rocket canceled due to bad weather". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Commercial rocket launch permit granted for South Australia". Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  11. ^ @SouthernLaunch (16 September 2021). "LAUNCH UPDATE
    At 4:09pm (ACST) @SouthernLaunch & TiSPACE attempted to launch the Hapith I. During ignition, the vehicle suffered an internal fault causing it catch alight. The fire was contained to the pad and attended to by the CFS. No people or the environment were at risk"     (Tweet). Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Third time unlucky for SA rocket launch". AAP. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via Yahoo! News.
  13. ^ "VS01 Mission Overview" (PDF). Southern Launch. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021 – via Squarespace.
  14. ^ "Whalers Way to Reach the Stars". Southern Launch. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  15. ^ Si-soo, Park (7 October 2021). "Taiwan's TiSPACE to try again after launch attempt ends in flames". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  16. ^ "首支國造火箭飛鼠一號預計13日台東發射". TiSPACE (Press release) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Missions 科學任務 [Scientific Missions]". National Central University. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  18. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter (1 June 2021). "Hapith". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  19. ^ "HAPITH V". www.tispace.com. TiSPACE. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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