TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruin Marching Band and the Emerald Knights marching band from Tokyo University of Agriculture Second High School will perform on Oct. 10 (Tuesday) at Taiwan's 112th Double Tenth ceremony.
Marking their first appearance as U.S. performers in Taiwan's National Day ceremony, a group of 127 students and 12 UCLA Bruin Marching Band teachers arrived in Taiwan on Monday morning. This visit marks their first trip to Taiwan in seven years.
Known as "The Solid Gold Sound," the UCLA Bruin Marching Band is also scheduled to perform at the plaza in front of Chiayi County Hall in southern Taiwan on Friday and Saturday. Some members expressed excitement about trying local dishes and bubble tea.
The General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC) also invited Japan's Emerald Knights as guest performers this year. This follows the 2022 appearance of Kyoto's Tachibana High School Marching Band, known as the "Orange Devils," in the celebration.
Comprising 148 students, the Japanese marching band gave a preview of its National Day performance in Kaohsiung a day earlier and staged a surprise flash mob dance performance in Taipei today.
The GACC stated that the presence of international music bands could showcase Taiwan's friendship with the U.S. and Japan.
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Taiwan's Triton weather satellite successfully launched | Triton weather satellite launched
TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's first self-made weather satellite, Triton, successfully launched from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on Monday. The launch on Arianespace's Vega Flight VV23 unfolded at 9:36 a.m. Taiwan time.
Initially scheduled for an Oct. 7 launch, the Triton's departure was delayed due to an anomaly during the initial countdown. Arianespace rescheduled for Oct. 9 during the same time slot.
The Taiwan Space Agency said Triton, equipped with a locally developed Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), is the country's first domestically produced weather satellite.
Triton's main task is calculating wind speeds by receiving signals reflected off the sea surface from the global navigation satellite system.
Triton's observational range covers the globe, primarily focusing on the low-latitude bands of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, regions known for severe weather.