Pingtung Royal Boat Remnants to Space, Launching with NCU Satellite on the 7th

(Central News Agency, reporter Wu Ruiqi, Taoyuan, 6th) In anticipation of the 2027 Pingtung Ying Wang (Royal Boat Festival) main cycle, the Ministry of Education's "Intelligent Leadership Program for Interdisciplinary Talents in Digital Humanities" will carry remnants of a royal boat aboard a National Central University (NCU) satellite, scheduled to launch into space via rocket from a U.S. space base on the 7th, symbolizing the extension of the Ying Wang cultural imagery to near-Earth orbit.

NCU announced in a press release today that the two satellites will undertake scientific missions including studying the Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere with instruments, high-spectral remote sensing payloads, and fiber optic gyroscope verification. They will also carry an APRS amateur radio relay payload in cooperation with the Amateur Radio Union of the Republic of China. Launching the royal boat remnants into space within the two CubeSats is not just a scientific mission, but a "Celestial River Pilgrimage" that integrates "folk custom, industry, and technology."

NCU stated that this project is jointly promoted by the Ministry of Education, Pingtung County Government, NCU, National Pingtung University, and Donggang Donglong Temple, among other entities. The Pingtung Donggang Ying Wang Peace Ceremony is an important Taiwanese folk ritual. This mission extends the cultural ritual of burning the royal boat from the traditional "wandering the celestial river" imagery from the coast to near-Earth orbit. A live broadcast program, "Celestial River Watch," will be launched simultaneously on the day of the launch, introducing the mission content, Taiwan's space technology development, and the Donggang Ying Wang culture.

NCU President Hsiao Shu-san said that NCU has accumulated over 60 years of research and talent cultivation capabilities, establishing Taiwan's important space scientific research foundation from the Graduate Institute of Space Science, the Department of Space Science and Engineering, to the Center for Space Science and Technology Research. He believes that university education should not only impart professional knowledge but also cultivate students' abilities in interdisciplinary integration, communication and collaboration, creative thinking, and problem-solving. "Celestial River Watch" is a concrete practice of the integration of technology, humanities, culture, and education.

Chang Chi-wei, Director of NCU's Department of Space Science and Engineering, said that the team conducted rigorous evaluations of satellite weight, center of gravity configuration, and mission safety before the trial flight before officially including them in the trial flight mission. At 3:10 PM on the 7th, Taiwan time, NCU's self-developed SCION-X (Whale Shark) 12U CubeSat, and the Koyo 3U CubeSat, a collaboration between NCU and Indian small satellite company Hex20, will launch into space aboard a rocket in the United States, demonstrating interdisciplinary integrated R&D capabilities. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150706

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