NEWS
Honor
- Publish Date:2024-06-18
East Asia’s Only Team! NYCU Formosan Fox Rocket Squad Competes in SA Cup 2024 Against 32 Countries and Over 100 Student Team

NYCU Formosan Fox again departed for the United States to take on the 2024 Spaceport America Cup challenge.
Translated by Hsuchuan
Edited by Chance Lai
______
Edited by Chance Lai
______
On June 14th, the Formosan Fox rocket team from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) embarked on their journey again, heading to New Mexico, USA, to participate in the 2024 Spaceport America Cup (SA Cup 2024). This is the world’s largest amateur rocket competition for university students.
Two years ago, Formosan Fox was the only team from Taiwan. This year, they are the sole East Asian team representing their university to compete against over a hundred student teams from 32 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia in the SA Cup finals. They aim to launch their rocket to an altitude of 3,000 meters in the New Mexico desert and successfully recover it.
Two years ago, Formosan Fox was the only team from Taiwan. This year, they are the sole East Asian team representing their university to compete against over a hundred student teams from 32 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia in the SA Cup finals. They aim to launch their rocket to an altitude of 3,000 meters in the New Mexico desert and successfully recover it.

Spaceport America Cup 2024 Day 2: Exchanged design experiences with schools from around the world.
Diverse Expertise and International Collaboration Propel Formosan Fox to Prominence
The Formosan Fox rocket team members come from diverse professional backgrounds, including the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Systems Engineering. The team primarily comprises NYCU students, with additional National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and National Formosa University (NFU) members. This interdisciplinary collaboration broadens the scope of the team’s research and enhances the reliability and efficiency of their rocket design, manufacturing, and testing processes.
It is achieving the goal of launching and successfully recovering the rocket hinges on the close coordination of various subsystems, including structure, avionics, payload, propulsion, and recovery subsystems. This makes systems engineering and team integration crucial.
Diverse Expertise and International Collaboration Propel Formosan Fox to Prominence
The Formosan Fox rocket team members come from diverse professional backgrounds, including the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Systems Engineering. The team primarily comprises NYCU students, with additional National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and National Formosa University (NFU) members. This interdisciplinary collaboration broadens the scope of the team’s research and enhances the reliability and efficiency of their rocket design, manufacturing, and testing processes.
It is achieving the goal of launching and successfully recovering the rocket hinges on the close coordination of various subsystems, including structure, avionics, payload, propulsion, and recovery subsystems. This makes systems engineering and team integration crucial.
To enhance technical skills and practical experience, the Formosan Fox continues to collaborate with international teams. They have formed sister teams with universities in Thailand and the Philippines, and they also work with rocket mentors Julian Chee and Dan Fries in the United States.
This close international cooperation strengthens the team’s technical capabilities and broadens the team members’ perspectives, helping Taiwan shine on the global stage.
The team’s advisor, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Zu Puayen Tan, stated that the Spaceport America Cup originated from the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) organized by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) in 2006.
In 2017, ESRA partnered with Spaceport America to expand the competition into what is now known as the Spaceport America Cup (SA Cup). Participating students combine “professional practice,” “innovative thinking,” and “academic integration,” leveraging their self-taught expertise and high enthusiasm for research and practical application. Throughout the process, they have generated many impressive and inspiring ideas.
The 2024 SA Cup will mark a new milestone for the Formosan Fox, as they are prepared to meet the challenges and achieve new successes. In the future, they will use their more advanced technology and accumulated valuable experience to inspire young people with dreams of rocketry to join the space field, thereby advancing Taiwan’s space industry together.

Related Image(s):