Private space launch vehicle corporations INNOSPACE will apply a launch tube made by domestic company SpaceBay to its own test satellite ahead of the second launch of "Hanbit-Nano" scheduled for the third quarter this year. The aim is to bind the launch vehicle, satellite, and satellite separation device through collaboration among domestic private companies and verify them in an actual launch mission.
INNOSPACE said on the 14th that it will load "INNOSAT-0," its first in-house test satellite's dedicated launch tube, onto Hanbit-Nano after procuring it from SpaceBay, a domestic company specializing in satellite separation systems and satellite launch services.
Hanbit-Nano is a small satellite launch vehicle that INNOSPACE is developing for commercial launch services, with a second launch planned at the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil. INNOSAT-0 is the first test satellite independently developed by INNOSPACE, tasked with verifying the satellite system and core technologies in the space environment.
The launch tube secures the satellite to the launch vehicle and helps the satellite separate stably after entering the target orbit. It is not a simple payload structure; because it handles the mechanical and electrical linkage between the launch vehicle and the satellite, pre-launch integration testing and verification of the separation sequence are essential.
SpaceBay previously conducted an in-space demonstration by loading the "SPOD6" launch tube for a 6U (1U is 10 cm in width, length and height) class nanosatellite on the fourth launch of Nuri last year.
The two companies are currently conducting integration tests for launch preparations at the INNOSPACE Cheongju Campus in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The tests are being carried out by inspecting the mechanical and electrical connection status between INNOSAT-0 and the launch tube, separation procedures, and launch operation conditions.
Kim Su-jong, CEO of INNOSPACE, said, "From now until launch, we will work closely together to progressively secure operational stability between the launch vehicle and the satellite separation system and reliability in mission execution, and we will do our best to carry out a successful mission," adding, "We will further expand technological cooperation with domestic space companies to accumulate launch mission experience and technical capabilities, and build a structure that grows together with the domestic space industry ecosystem."