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South Korea's First Commercial Rocket Crashes: Hanbit-Nano Falls After Liftoff

South Korea's ambitious entry into the commercial space race hit a major setback. The Hanbit-Nano rocket, the country's first commercial orbital vehicle, crashed just half a minute after lifting off from Brazil. Flames were visible during the livestream before it cut out, though thankfully the rocket fell within a safety zone. This failure comes after multiple delays and represents a missed milestone for private South Korean space efforts.

Key Points: South Korea Hanbit-Nano Rocket Crashes After Brazil Launch

  • The rocket crashed within a designated safety zone, with no casualties or additional damage reported
  • The launch had been postponed three times since November due to technical and weather issues
  • A successful launch would have made Innospace the first private South Korean firm to orbit a customer satellite
  • The company has a $5.8 million contract with a German firm for future launch services between 2026-2029
2 min read

S. Korea's first commercial orbital rocket Hanbit-Nano falls to ground after liftoff

South Korea's first commercial orbital rocket, the Hanbit-Nano, crashed 30 seconds after liftoff from Brazil. No casualties were reported in the failed launch attempt.

"The vehicle fell to the ground 30 seconds after liftoff - Innospace"

Seoul, Dec 23

The Hanbit-Nano, South Korea's first commercial orbital rocket, crashed shortly afterward due to an abnormality in the vehicle, its operator Innospace said.

The company noted that the rocket blasted off from the Alcantara Space Center at 10:13 p.m. Monday (local time) in Brazil, Yonhap news agency reported.

However, the vehicle fell to the ground 30 seconds after liftoff, said Innospace.

The rocket crashed within a ground safety zone, with no casualties or additional damage reported, it added.

Flames were observed immediately after liftoff during a YouTube livestream of the launch, which was suspended shortly afterward.

Earlier in the day, the rocket launch was being pushed back due to unfavourable weather conditions at the launch site in Brazil.

The rocket was carrying a payload that included five satellites set to be deployed into a 300-kilometer low orbit.

If successful, Innospace would have become the first private South Korean company to place a customer satellite into orbit.

The two-stage vehicle employed a 25-tonne thrust hybrid engine that powered the first stage, while the second stage was backed by a liquid methane and oxygen engine.

The launch had been postponed three times since the company's original date of November 22.

It was postponed twice last week due to a defect in avionics electronics and then due to an issue with a fuel tank.

Earlier in September, the South Korean space launch startup signed a $5.8 million contract with Media Broadcasting Satellite (MBS), a German satellite communications company, to provide launch services, Yonhap had reported.

Under the agreement, Innospace will carry out two launch missions using the company's Hanbit launch vehicle to deploy MBS satellites into low Earth orbit between 2026 and 2029.

In a separate deal, Innospace also named MBS as its exclusive launch service and marketing agent in Germany, a move aimed at bolstering the South Korean firm's presence in the European space market.

MBS will hold exclusive rights to distribute and market launch services based on Innospace's Hanbit vehicle to satellite customers in Germany.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So many delays and technical issues... seems like they rushed it. Launching from Brazil also adds complexity. ISRO has had its share of failures but our success rate is commendable. Hope they learn from this and come back stronger.
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Vikram M
Hybrid engine in first stage and methane-oxygen in second? Interesting tech. Sad it failed. The global commercial space race is heating up. With SpaceX, ISRO's NSIL, and now Korean startups, competition will drive innovation and lower costs for all.
S
Sarah B
Watching the livestream must have been heartbreaking for the team. Building a rocket is incredibly complex. Respect to all the engineers who worked on this. Failure is just a stepping stone.
R
Rohit P
The article mentions a $5.8 million contract with a German company. That's a lot of money and trust. Hope this setback doesn't affect their future deals. Private space companies need strong backing to survive these early failures.
K
Karthik V
ज़रूरी नहीं हर पहला प्रयास सफल हो। (It's not necessary that every first attempt succeeds). They postponed three times since November, showing they were cautious. The anomaly happened 30 seconds in... probably first stage separation or engine issue. Technical teething problems. All the best for next try.

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