Taiwan Apologizes for False Missile Alert

Taiwan’s defense ministry issued an apology after falsely alerting people to a missile flying over the island. Local authorities had detected a satellite launch from China and correctly identified it as such in Chinese. However, the English warning sent to mobile phones across Taiwan erroneously stated an ‘air raid alert.’ Several hours later, the ministry confirmed that China had launched a satellite and apologized for any confusion caused. The ministry also revealed that the satellite unexpectedly flew over Taiwan, indicating a lack of communication from China about the flight path.

China launched its Einstein Probe in collaboration with the European Space Agency. The probe was launched via one of China’s Long March rockets from the Xichang province. Taiwan’s defense ministry released a diagram of the satellite’s trajectory and explained that they issued the warning due to the unusual flight path. This isn’t the first time Taiwanese officials have been alerted by Chinese satellite launches, as a similar incident occurred in October. However, the ministry reassured the public that the launches pose no threat to Taiwan.

Source: Taiwan’s defense ministry warned in an ‘air raid alert’ that an incoming missile was flying over the island — but it turned out to be a satellite launch from China