INNOSPACE Signs Technology Agreement with Brazil for Suborbital Rocket Flight Test From Alcantara
INNOSPACE, a South Korean space startup manufacturer of small launch vehicles, has signed an agreement with the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA) to launch SISNAV, an inertial navigation system project supported by the Financier of Studies and Projects ( Finep) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI) and by the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB).
“Alcântara Spaceport has the conditions to host various activities related to space activity, which go beyond placing satellites in Earth orbit. In this case, we have the exemplary situation in which both a vehicle and an inertial system will be tested, both under development. We are sure that this initiative by DCTA and INNOSPACE will open a new chapter in our history of access to space”, said AEB President Carlos Moura.
Currently, INNOSPACE is developing the HANBIT, a small satellite launcher powered by a hybrid rocket engine. The first test flight of the HANBIT-TLV is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022, at the Alcântara Launch Center (CLA), located in Alcântara (MA). The CLA is an equatorial launch site. In addition, it will be the first suborbital test flight to validate the HANBIT-Nano’s first stage engine, which is a small 2-stage satellite launcher capable of carrying a 50kg payload.
With this agreement, INNOSPACE hopes to be able to verify the launch vehicle’s performance capability and gain recognition in the aerospace industry by launching the payload on the test flight. The HANBIT-TLV is a 15-ton single-stage thrust hybrid rocket with a height of 16.3 m, a diameter of 1 meter and a weight of 9.2 tons.
The HANBIT-TLV will carry on board the SISNAV payload, an inertial navigation system being developed by the DCTA and other institutions. They will verify that SISNAV performs well in specific environments, such as vibration, shock and high temperature, which occur throughout the entire process, from take-off and during transatmospheric flight.
“This agreement is significant because INNOSPACE and the DCTA are committed to mutual technical and operational development and an ongoing partnership. We expect INNOSPACE to enter the small satellite launch services market with a successful first test launch of the HANBIT-TLV in the fourth quarter in Brazil,” said Soo Jong Kim, CEO of INNOSPACE.
INNOSPACE’s distinctive hybrid rocket engines, for faster fabrication and low-cost access to space, have a stable, non-toxic, non-explosive design that uses liquid oxygen and paraffin-based propellants and its patented fuel delivery system. electric pump.
About INNOSPACE
INNOSPACE is a South Korean space startup for the manufacture of small satellite launchers and aerospace engineering services. The company is developing Hybrid Rocket-Powered Small Satellite (HANBIT) launchers to provide reliable, low-latency, and low-cost launch services in today’s rapidly expanding small-satellite market. For more information, please visit: www.innospc.com.
About the DCTA
The DCTA is a scientific and technological organization of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) responsible for planning, managing, executing and controlling activities related to science, technology and innovation, in the military sphere. https://www.dcta.mil.br/.
