Innospace gets license for first orbital launch attempt

WASHINGTON — South Korean launch startup Innospace says it has received government approval for its first orbital launch attempt, which could take place as soon as the end of the month.

Innospace announced Oct. 19 that the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) awarded it a commercial launch authorization, the first granted to a private company in the country. The authorization is the final approval the company said it needed for the inaugural launch of its Hanbit-Nano rocket.

That launch is scheduled for a window that opens Oct. 28 from the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil and runs through Nov. 28.

The mission, called Spaceward, will carry five small satellites from the Brazilian space agency AEB, Brazilian university Universidade Federal do Maranhão and Indian startup Grahaa Space. It will also carry three payloads from AEB and Brazilian company Castro Leite Consultoria that will remain attached to the rocket, as well as a “branding model item” from South Korean beverage company Brewguru, described in a company statement as an empty aluminum can.

“This authorization demonstrates that Hanbit-Nano has met all requirements for safety, mission capability, environmental and security standards, officially recognizing its technical and legal reliability as the first commercial launch vehicle approved for launch by a South Korean private company,” Soojong Kim, Innospace chief executive, said in a statement.

Although the launch will take place in Brazil, a team from KASA will travel to the site to review safety systems and “provide support for a stable and successful mission,” Innospace said. The visit is also intended to strengthen space cooperation between Brazil and South Korea.

Hanbit-Nano is a small launch vehicle capable of placing up to 90 kilograms into a sun-synchronous orbit from Alcântara. The two-stage rocket uses a hybrid propellant combination of liquid oxygen and paraffin in the first stage and a liquid oxygen/methane engine in the second stage.

Innospace tested its hybrid propulsion technology in 2023 with the launch of Hanbit-TLV, a suborbital sounding rocket, also from Alcântara. The company said the test was successful but did not disclose the rocket’s peak altitude during the four-and-a-half-minute flight.

Hanbit-Nano is the first in a planned family of launch vehicles. The Hanbit-Micro will add a second engine to the second stage and a kick stage using liquid oxygen and methane propellants, increasing payload performance to 170 kilograms. A larger Hanbit-Mini, with two lower stages powered by liquid oxygen and paraffin and an upper stage using liquid oxygen and methane, is designed to place up to 1,300 kilograms into orbit.

Innospace went public in July 2024 on South Korea’s KOSDAQ exchange at an offering price of 43,300 won ($30.48). Shares closed Oct. 17 at 15,800 won but were up nearly 9% in early trading Oct. 20.