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Korea’s first commercial space launch attempt fails as Hanbit-Nano rocket appears to explode after liftoff

Published: 23 Dec. 2025, 14:24 Updated: 23 Dec. 2025, 18:53

Innospace’s commercial space rocket Hanbit-Nano explodes shortly after liftoff at the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil on the morning of Dec. 23 (Korea time) in this screen capture from Innospace’s YouTube livestream. [NEWS1]

Hanbit-Nano rocket, Korea’s first attempt at a commercial space launch, ended in failure on Tuesday when the Innospace rocket failed shortly after liftoff from Brazil.

Innospace said the Hanbit-Nano rocket lifted off at 10:13 a.m. (Korea time) from the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil, with the first-stage ignition of its 25-ton-class hybrid rocket engine proceeding as planned.

An in-flight anomaly was detected about 30 seconds after liftoff. Live video footage showed a large flame engulfing the vehicle, followed by what appeared to be an explosion.

"The launch vehicle was brought down within the ground safety zone after an anomaly was detected,” Innospace said. "It collided with the ground within a secured area, and there are no signs of casualties or additional damage.”

The company said it is investigating the cause of the mission’s termination and will disclose the results of its data analysis at a later date.

The mission ended in line with safety procedures as systems designed to meet Brazilian Air Force and international standards worked as intended.

Innospace’s commercial space rocket Hanbit-Nano is launched at the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil on the morning of Dec. 23 (Korea time) in this screen capture from Innospace’s YouTube livestream. [NEWS1]

The Hanbit-Nano rocket launch went ahead after several delays to secure favorable conditions. Liftoff was initially scheduled for 3:45 a.m. on Tuesday but was postponed until later in the morning due to heavy rain and other weather concerns.

The mission aimed to deploy eight small satellites for customers in Brazil and India into low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 300 kilometers (186 miles). The flight marked a milestone as the first commercial launch attempt led by a Korean private company.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY EO HWAN-HEE [[email protected]]