The Formosat-8A "Zeppelin" satellite successfully launched from the United States Vandenberg Space Force Base at 2:44 AM on November 29 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) stated that this is Taiwan's first domestically built satellite and a significant step towards a new space age. He underscored that the government will continue to collaborate with industry, academia, and research institutions to vigorously develop the space industry and create a new "protective mountain" for Taiwan.

The president said that this first satellite, launched today, along with subsequent satellites, will form Taiwan’s first homegrown satellite constellation. The data collected at higher resolution will be applied to land planning and monitoring, disaster response, environmental protection, strengthen national security, and empower Taiwan to face various challenges.

Formosat-8 consists of eight optical remote sensing satellites: six with a native resolution of 1 meter and two with an ultra-high native resolution of less than 1 meter. All launches for the subsequent satellites are expected to be completed by 2031. Compared to Formosat-5's native resolution of 2 meters, Formosat-8’s constellation will result in more frequent and clearer images of the Earth's surface.