Private space launch corporation INNOSPACE on the 23rd launched its first commercial space launch vehicle, "Hanbit-Nano (HANBIT-Nano)," in Brazil, but a sudden, unexpected event occurred during flight and the on-site broadcast was abruptly cut off.
INNOSPACE at 10:13 a.m. (Korea time) launched its first commercial launch vehicle, "Hanbit-Nano," from the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil. Footage showed the rocket ascending immediately after liftoff, but after flames were captured, the video and audio were cut off and no further flight status was released.
According to the company, Hanbit-Nano lifted off normally and began a vertical flight trajectory as planned. The first stage ignited normally and carried out the planned flight segment, but about 30 seconds after liftoff, an in-flight anomaly was detected in the vehicle, and the launcher fell within the ground safety zone. The safety system, designed in accordance with Brazilian Air Force and international standards, worked as intended, and the mission was terminated under safety procedures, the company said.
INNOSPACE said, "The launch vehicle struck the ground in a safely secured area, and there were no casualties or signs of additional damage."
The cause of the mission termination is under review, and the results of the analysis of the data obtained will be shared later.
The launch was the "SPACEWARD" mission, aiming to deploy five small satellites and three nonseparating experimental payloads into low Earth orbit at an altitude of 300 km and an inclination of 40 degrees. INNOSPACE has said it plans to simultaneously carry out experimental payload missions while inserting satellites into orbit to collect data.
Hanbit-Nano is a two-stage launch vehicle measuring 21.8 meters in height with a maximum diameter of 1.4 meters. A 25-ton-class hybrid engine is applied to the first stage and a 3-ton-class liquid methane engine to the second stage, which is also significant as the first commercial mission to use a propulsion system independently developed by the private sector.
The launch preparations, however, faced multiple delays. The first launch was initially targeted for Nov. 22 (Brazil local time), but an abnormal signal was detected in the avionics, pushing it to Dec. 17. After an issue was found in the cooling unit of the first-stage oxidizer supply system, it was postponed again to the 19th. On the 19th–20th, the need to check the valve used to fill the second-stage liquid methane tank led to a halt in the launch attempt. On the 23rd, due to a rain forecast, the planned launch time of 3:45 a.m. was changed to after 10 a.m., and the launch was finally conducted at 10:13 a.m. (Korea time).