
Dec 23 (Reuters) - South Korean satellite launch company Innospace on Monday launched the first commercial rocket from Brazil's Alcantara Space Center, a milestone for the firm and Brazilian aerospace ambitions that ended with a crash.
The HANBIT-Nano vehicle lifted off at 10:13 p.m. Brazil time (0113 GMT), five days later than originally scheduled.
Just two minutes after the launch, a live feed within the official livestream showed a message noting an "anomaly" was experienced during the flight. The livestream ended immediately afterward.
According to Brazil's air force, the rocket began its vertical trajectory as planned, but an issue prompted a crash into the ground. Officials and firefighters were sent to analyse the wreckage and the collision area, the air force added in a statement.
Innospace has not provided further information about the launch and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The firm's South Korea-listed shares fell about 24% in midday trading after the crash, the biggest intraday decline since August.
The launch was delayed from Wednesday after an anomaly in a cooling unit component of the first-stage oxidizer feed system during final inspections, and again on Friday for a few hours due to unfavourable weather conditions.
In a previous statement, Innospace said it replaced the component on the launch pad, allowing the Spaceward mission to proceed within its December 16-22 launch window. It was launching eight registered cargoes, including five small satellites, for undisclosed customers.
The Brazilian air force and space agency offered operational support for the launch in coordination with key agencies.
In March 2023, Innospace had launched its test vehicle HANBIT-TLV from the same facility in northeast Brazil to verify the performance of its 150 kN hybrid rocket engine.
(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Jamie Freed)
LATEST POSTS
- 1
NASA releases new ‘Earthset’ and eclipse images taken during historic flyby of the moon - 2
Private sector revives the climate disaster database Trump tried to squash - 3
The Rhythms of the Street: Shipping's Tune in the Economy's Symphony - 4
Benedict Cumberbatch takes on something even Sherlock can’t solve: male grief - 5
Manual for Tracking down the Nearby Business sectors and Marketplaces
Discovering a sense of harmony: Individual Accounts of Reflection and Care
Met Gala 2026 will celebrate fashion as an 'embodied art form': A guide to the theme, dress code, cochairs and hosting committee of the starry event
'War is not over': Detailed diagrams of prisons found in cells of Oct. 7 terrorists
Manual for Individual accounting Rudiments for Fledglings
Infants will no longer receive hepatitis B vaccine at birth, CDC announces
Becoming amazing at Arranging Pay Raises
Israel says soldiers wounded in Gaza fighting amid fragile truce
Europe’s Airlines Run Low on Fuel
Our favorite Space.com stories of 2025













