The Hanbit-Nano, South Korea’s inaugural commercial orbital rocket, experienced a crash shortly after liftoff due to a vehicle anomaly, as confirmed by its operator, Innospace. The rocket, launched from the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil at 10:13 p.m. local time, plummeted to the ground only 30 seconds after takeoff, according to Innospace. Fortunately, the crash occurred within a ground safety zone, with no casualties or further damage reported.
Flames were witnessed immediately following liftoff during a YouTube livestream of the launch, which was promptly halted. Earlier on the same day, the rocket launch had been delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions at the Brazilian launch site. The rocket was carrying a payload that included five satellites intended for deployment into a 300-kilometer low orbit.
Innospace, if successful, would have been the first private South Korean entity to place a customer satellite into orbit. The two-stage vehicle utilized a 25-tonne thrust hybrid engine for the first stage, while the second stage was powered by a liquid methane and oxygen engine. The launch had faced three postponements since the original scheduled date of November 22, twice last week due to avionics electronics defect and a fuel tank issue.
In September, the South Korean space launch startup inked a $5.8 million deal with Media Broadcasting Satellite (MBS), a German satellite communications company, for launch services. As part of the agreement, Innospace will conduct two launch missions using the Hanbit launch vehicle to deploy MBS satellites into low Earth orbit between 2026 and 2029. Additionally, Innospace appointed MBS as its exclusive launch service and marketing agent in Germany to enhance its presence in the European space market, granting MBS exclusive rights to distribute and market launch services based on Innospace’s Hanbit vehicle to satellite customers in Germany.
