▲ Intro video of Prof. Zu Puayen Tan, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The Formosan Fox Rocket Team of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) was again on the international stage to participate in the 2024 Spaceport America Cup (SA Cup). With new technology and courage, the team took on the challenge of launching an approximate 3-meter-long self-made rocket in the desert of New Mexico in the U.S., aiming to launch it to an altitude of 3,000 meters and recover it successfully. The SA Cup is the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition. It attracts over 140 college teams from 32 countries annually to launch and recover their self-made solid, liquid, and hybrid rockets, aiming at 3km and 10km. Participating in this competition marks a new step for Taiwan in the global aerospace industry and demonstrates NYCU’s technical strength and scientific research innovation.
As one of the souls of the team, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NYCU, Zu Puayen Tan, had been engaged in aerospace research in the U.S for more than a decade before he came to Taiwan and is one of the few self-made amateur rocket launchers in his home country of Malaysia. In 2017, when he graduated from the PhD program, with the start of SpaceX, many people around the globe actively devoted themselves to the New Space Economy. Prof. Tan made the bold decision to pursue a new venture at NYCU, recognizing Taiwan’s massive potential in Asia. He believes that Taiwan has a unique aerospace industry base and that NYCU has been equipped with a rocketry R&D environment and diversity rarely found in Asian universities. From the Advanced Rocket Research Center (ARRC), which has been dedicated to launch vehicle research and development, to the ASARe Lab, where the sounding rocket and the high-altitude balloon have been developed, then to the Formosan Fox, where the amateur rocket has been designed, NYCU has been gradually built a complete aerospace industry chain.
Crossing Comfort Zone from Course, A Rocket Dream to Fly Towards the Globe
Talking about the opportunity to participate in the SA Cup, Professor Tan recalled that he did not have the chance to participate in it when he was a student, so after coming to NYCU, he hoped to lead students with the same rocket dream to participate in the competition. The Formosan Fox Rocket Team originated from the “Mechanical Practice” undergraduate course in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The course required students to integrate “professional practice,” “creative thinking,” and “academic knowledge,” while providing them with the opportunity to design and build their own rockets. In the process, students developed a passion for rocketry and the space industry. At the end of 2020, they formed Taiwan’s first student rocket team and competed in the U.S. For the first participation in 2022, Formosan Fox was the only team from Taiwan to participate in the competition, and it took nearly a year and a half to prepare for the competition. The Formosan Fox competed again this year (2024) and was the only East Asian team. The team comprises students from different professional backgrounds, including the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Institute of Electronics, and Institute of Space Systems Engineering, etc., and cross-disciplinary collaboration with National Tsing Hua University and National Formosa University students. The interdisciplinary cooperation has dramatically improved rocket design, manufacturing, and testing reliability and efficiency.
Formosan Fox continues to exchange ideas with foreign teams to improve their technical level and practical experience. “It is worth mentioning that we are not working alone. In addition to our two mentors from the U.S., Julian Chee and Dan Fries, we have worked with teams from Malaysia and Thailand in 2022, and this year, we are working with a team from the Philippines,” said Prof. Tan. The team leader, Jim Yuan, noted that the confident rocket introduction and spirit of sharing demonstrated by the teams from different countries in this competition gave him a new way of thinking about rocket design.
The SA Cup is more than just a student rocketry competition for the team. Prof. Tan said, “We believe that aerospace science in the 21st century has the potential to realize the ‘Hero’s Journey’ often seen in anime. As rockets charge into the unknown sky, symbolizing a challenge to the limits of wisdom, these young and enthusiastic scientists and engineers are using rocket science as a bridge to build their dreams, step out of their comfort zones, and fly into the new international space competition, to realize their own ‘aerospace hero’s journey,’ to return to their original starting point with new perspectives and more capable selves to influence and inspire the next generation.”
Specific Teamwork to Breakthrough Challenges in the Same Language
The Formosan Fox faced many challenges in the SA Cup, from technical problems to field operations. Due to Taiwan’s regulations, there are a lot of restrictions on the purchase of engines and fuel and test flight applications, especially the use of black powder for the sectional system is wholly banned in Taiwan, so the team could only go to the U.S. one week before the competition to conduct tests. Meanwhile, transportation was also a significant challenge, as the team had to disassemble and pack the rocket parts and apply for all kinds of documents to ensure that the rocket arrived safely at the competition site—a series of challenges that also prompted the team to improve their technology and processes continuously. Prof. Tan laughed and said, “The hollow glass fiber tube of the rocket was custom-made in the U.S., shipped to Taiwan by sea, and now it is going to be shipped back to the U.S. Every back-and-forth transportation loaded with air and was considered an expensive ‘air transport’!”
Asked how they overcame different opinions, Jim said, “Actually, there was no conflict at all. Rocketeers are all crazy. We will have discussions, but we all have the same goal, so we rely on testing to prove and resolve different opinions”. Matthew Chen, in charge of the recovery/propulsion team, recalled how the team stayed up all night before the competition to test, try out the assembly, and confirm every step to ensure everything went smoothly. As for how the Formosan Fox performed this year? Prof. Tan said that Formosan Fox is a start-up team and is inevitably inexperienced. However, the team overcame the bottlenecks through teamwork, continuous testing, and revision to successfully launch the rocket this time. “No matter how difficult you think it is to make a rocket, the reality will always exceed expectations. However, it is not just a challenge we face; 90 percent of teams have encountered similar issues. You can never predict what’s going to happen. The only thing you can do now is deal with it,” said Prof. Tan.
Students Are Passionate About Pursuing Their Space Dreams
Formosan Fox students invested a lot of time and energy to participate in the competition, not only for technological breakthroughs but also because of their infinite passion for space exploration. Jim mentioned that he has been determined to engage in aerospace research since junior high school. He believes that rockets are the culmination of human engineering. Unlike other engineering projects, rockets have to consider a wide range of conditions, including materials, chemistry, space dynamics, etc., and even issues such as the theory of relativity will need to be explored if interplanetary travel is to be considered in the future. “To make a good rocket, we have to ensure that there are no issues in every step of the process, from design, production, transport to launch. If one step is not assured, it will be a big problem because there is only one chance (to launch the rocket),” said Jim
Every Formosan Fox member shares the same belief that participating in an international competition like this will give them a huge boost in their career and prove the strength of Taiwan’s rocket technology. Yen Chou, in charge of the structure team, said, “What we are doing is not only making a rocket but also letting more people get closer to rockets and understand that aerospace technology is closely related to our lives.” Eric Chen, in charge of the publicity and development team, said that it was tough to convince sponsors to sponsor the project, as well as to convince surrounding teachers, families, and students. “Launching a rocket in Taiwan may seem impossible, but we (Formosan Fox Rocket Team) did it! We proved that even university students in Taiwan can design, build, and launch rockets, so what else can’t Taiwan do?” said Eric.
However, making rockets is quite long, and many students cannot complete the entire journey. Prof. Tan frankly stated that there have been, are, and will be students who leave the team in the middle of the process. The process of researching and developing rockets is lengthy and challenging. It’s impossible to see results in a short period, so it’s easy for individuals to lack confidence and doubt themselves and their team, leading them to consider giving up on the entire journey. Prof. Tan also said outspokenly, “Although the benefits to the students may not be apparent in five years, as long as the students can develop their engineering skills and patience in the process and develop new perspectives on things, the original purpose of the ‘Aerospace Hero’s Journey’ will have been successfully fulfilled.
Looking ahead to SA Cup 2025: Higher and Further Challenges
Immediately after the 2024 competition, the Formosan Fox started to prepare for the SA Cup 2025. They will challenge themselves to fly even higher and plan to gradually replace off-the-shelf components to achieve the breakthrough of all self-made parts. At the same time, they will also design more innovative payloads for Taiwan to take its place in the global aerospace competition. The SA Cup provides a platform for NYCU students to apply their theories and enables them to learn from real-life challenges, which holds significant educational value for NYCU. As Jim said, “What is special about rocket competition is that it is not about competing who can fly fast and high. The most important thing is to complete the mission. To achieve the ultimate goal, I think it is most meaningful to compete with myself rather than others in the whole process and work together to advance human well-being.”
Professor Zu Puayen Tan emphasized that Taiwan and NYCU have great potential and advantages in rocket R&D. Efforts of the Formosan Fox Rocket Team not only represent Taiwan in the competition but also demonstrate the importance of Taiwan in the development of the space industry and the outstanding strength of NYCU, with the hope that in the future, Taiwan can cultivate aerospace technology talents with international competitiveness, who can help Taiwan in the development of the global space industry.
Special thanks to Yen Chou, Matthew Chen, Eric Chen, and Jim Yuan, the members of the Formosan Fox Rocket Team, NYCU, led by Professor Zu Puayen Tan.
Interview | Hsiu-Cheng Faina Chang / WanXin Education Ltd.
Editing | Hsiu-Cheng Faina Chang
Photography | Hao-Yun Peng and Zong-Han Lyu / ZDunemployed Studio