Innospace's Hanbit-Nano rocket launch delayed again over technical glitches

Korean space startup Innospace has postponed the launch of its first commercial rocket, the Hanbit-Nano, for the third time. The latest delay came after engineers detected a technical issue just before liftoff at Brazil's Alcantara Space Center on Friday evening. The Hanbit-Nano was set to launch at 9.30 p.m. on January 17 but was halted when a system required further inspection. This followed two earlier postponements: one on November 22 due to abnormal signals in avionics equipment, and another after a cooling system fault in the first-stage oxidizer supply was found during final checks.

A valve used to fill the rocket's second-stage liquid methane tank also needed an additional technical review. The two-stage vehicle, measuring 21.8 metres long and 1.4 metres wide, is designed to carry a 90-kilogram payload into a 500-kilometre-high sun-synchronous orbit. Innospace now plans to set a new launch date within the current window, which runs until January 22. The decision will be made in coordination with the Brazilian Air Force.

The repeated delays highlight the technical challenges faced during the rocket's preparation. Innospace must now resolve the outstanding issues before attempting another launch within the remaining window at the Alcantara Space Center.