Seoul, Dec 20: South Korean space startup Innospace said on Saturday that its first commercial orbit launch has been delayed again due to technical problems.
The Hanbit-Nano rocket was scheduled to lift off from the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil earlier in the day, but the launch was delayed. Innospace had originally aimed to launch the vehicle on Wednesday.
The space startup said it will reschedule the liftoff in cooperation with the Brazilian Air Force, reports Yonhap news agency.
The Hanbit-Nano vehicle will carry eight payloads, including five satellites, and deploy them into a 300-kilometer low orbit.
The two-stage vehicle employs a 25-ton thrust hybrid engine that powers the first stage, and the second stage is backed by a liquid methane and oxygen engine.
If successful, Innospace will become the first private South Korean company to place a customer satellite into orbit.
Meanwhile, South Korea aims to launch a lunar communication orbiter in 2029 and a lunar lander in 2032 as part of its long-term space exploration road map, the head of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said last week.
KASA Administrator Yoon Young-bin unveiled the goals during his agency’s policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung held in the central administrative city of Sejong, while highlighting the agency’s plan to bolster the country’s space capabilities.
Yoon said the agency will attempt the 2029 orbiter mission using the country’s homegrown Nuri rocket. Last month, the country successfully completed the fourth launch of the homegrown space launch vehicle, placing 13 satellites into orbit.
He explained that securing deep-space communications technology through the lunar communication orbiter will serve as groundwork for the goal of sending an unmanned lunar lander in 2032.
A lunar communications orbiter is essential for moon missions, as communication with Earth from the far side of the moon is not possible.
According to Yoon, KASA plans to conduct at least one Nuri launch per year through 2032 to raise its success rate to over 90 percent, and develop a reusable next-generation launch vehicle by 2035.
–IANS