South Korean commercial rocket crashes shortly after launch in Brazil

Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Hanbit-Nano rocket, developed by South Korean aerospace company Innospace, crashed shortly after lifting off from the Centro de Lanzamiento de Alcántara in northeastern Brazil during the first commercial space launch attempt from that country.

The incident occurred Monday at 10:13 p.m. local time and was shown on a live broadcast live by the company. According to the specialized platform Spaceward, the vehicle lost control shortly after liftoff and fell within the designated ground safety zone about a minute into the flight.

Innospace later confirmed that an anomaly was detected during the early phase of the mission, triggering an automatic termination of the flight. The company said in a statement that no injuries occurred and no damage happened outside the established safety perimeter.

Teams from the Brazilian Air Force and the space center's fire department inspected the impact area after the rocket's signal was lost just seconds after an on-screen alert warned of the anomaly.

Related

• South Korea names top 100 R&D achievements, highlights K9 engine
• Japan's H3 rocket misses orbit in launch failure
• Rocket Lab launches 79th Electron mission, ends successful year

Hanbit-Nano is a two-stage launch vehicle designed to place small payloads into low- Earth orbit Low-Eatth orbit extends about 1,240 miles above the planet's surface and is widely used for Earth observation, communication and scientific research satellites.

In this mission, the rocket was intended to reach an altitude of about 186 miles.

The vehicle stands about 72 feet tall, weighs roughly 44,000 pounds and has a diameter of about 4.6 feet. It is designed to carry nanosatellites -- small spacecraft typically used for scientific research, education and technology demonstration missions.

During ascent, rockets pass through a critical phase known as maximum aerodynamic pressure, when the combination of speed and atmospheric density places the greatest stress on the vehicle's structure.

The payload included eight items: five nanosatellites intended for tasks such as environmental and climate data collection, technology development and education, and three experimental payloads designed to test new technologies in the space environment. The devices were developed by institutions and companies from Brazil and India.

The launch had been postponed five times. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, it was delayed due to technical issues, including problems with the fuel oxidizer cooling system, and later because of adverse weather conditions.

Liftoff ultimately occurred on the final day of the planned launch window -- a period when Earth's position and atmospheric conditions are most favorable for reaching the intended orbit.

The Alcântara Launch Center is considered strategically important due to its proximity to the equator, located about two degrees south of the equatorial line.

This location allows for fuel savings of up to 30% compared with launch sites at higher latitudes, offers greater flexibility in orbital trajectories, and reduces risks to populated areas due to low population density and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.

Innospace has a service agreement with the Brazilian government to use the site as a commercial launch platform. According to the Brazilian Space Agency, the agreement does not provide direct financial profits for the state, but is aimed at promoting the use of the launch center by international operators.