Chinese rocket carrying satellite passes over Taiwan

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said the rocket was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi at 10:33 am (local time).

The satellite flew south towards the Yellow Sea, flying over eastern Taiwan, and then headed towards the waters east of the Philippines, according to Taiwan's MND.

It further said that the altitude of the rocket was outside the atmosphere and posed no threat to Taiwan. Taiwan's MND said it monitored the rocket's launch and took appropriate precautionary steps, according to Taiwan News report.

Earlier in the day, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that six Chinese naval vessels were detected around Taiwan between 6 am (local time) on Monday and 6 am (local time) on Tuesday.

According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND), Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) activity. No PLA aircraft were tracked in Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

In a post on X, Taiwan's MND stated, "6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. Today's illustration of flight path is not provided due to no PLA aircraft operation around Taiwan were detected during this timeframe."

Earlier in January, China launched the Einstein Probe satellite from Sichuan province. The Chinese satellite flew over Taiwan's southern airspace, Taiwan News report.

China said the Einstein Probe was a small satellite made for high-energy astrophysics and astronomy research. The satellite was a joint project between the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the European Space Agency, and Germany's Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, according to Taiwan News report.

At the time, Taiwan Space Agency Deputy Director Chu Chung-hui said that the satellite launch did not appear to prioritise safety. Chu said that due to multiple segments detaching during the launch of the satellite, they could potentially fall anywhere, posing a safety concern. He added that China does not appear to pay attention to these kinds of issues. (ANI)