Brazil's space ambitions have suffered a setback after the inaugural commercial rocket launch from its Alcantara Space Center ended in a crash shortly after liftoff. The incident also hit shares of South Korean satellite launch company Innospace.
The rocket followed its planned vertical trajectory after taking off at 10:13 p.m. local time (0113 GMT), but around 30 seconds into the flight an unspecified malfunction caused it to fall to the ground, according to Innospace CEO Kim Soo-jong. The crash occurred within a pre-designated safety zone, ensuring no injuries, with Brazil's air force dispatching firefighters to assess the wreckage.
In a letter to shareholders posted on the company's website on 23 December, Mr Kim expressed profound regret. "We are deeply sorry that we failed to meet the expectations of our shareholders who supported our first commercial launch," he stated. Innospace shares plunged nearly 29% in Seoul, marking its biggest daily drop and heaviest trading volume since its July 2024 listing.
The launch of the HANBIT-Nano vehicle had already been delayed by five days, initially due to a mechanical anomaly in a cooling-unit component found during final inspections. The component was replaced on the launchpad, allowing the Spaceward mission to proceed within its December 16-22 window. It was carrying eight registered cargoes, including five small satellites, for undisclosed customers.
A failed satellite launch at Alcantara in 2003 killed 21 people, including senior engineers, when a rocket exploded on the launchpad, setting back Brazil's space programme by a generation. Plans for foreign firms to resume launches from the strategically located equatorial site were previously delayed by geopolitical competition involving the United States and Russia.
Innospace said data gathered from the rocket's short flight represented "a significant achievement," and it plans to attempt another commercial launch in the first half of 2026. In March 2023, the company launched its test vehicle HANBIT-TLV from the same facility to verify the performance of its 150 kN hybrid rocket engine.
