SEJONG, South Korea (March 21, 2023) – INNOSPACE, a South Korean private spaceflight startup for small satellite launch vehicles, announced that the HANBIT-TLV, its the first test launch vehicle, was successfully launched from the Alcântara Space Center at 2:52 p.m. on the 19th, BRT. The launch was to verify the flight performance of the 15-ton-thrust hybrid rocket engine, which is to be applied to the HANBIT series, the small satellite launcher.

 

HANBIT-TLV is a test launch vehicle powered by the company’s self-developed 15-ton thrust hybrid rocket engine. It burned stably for 106 seconds after engine ignition on the launch pad and fell to a predesignated landing site in the sea after flying for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Although there was a time difference of 12 seconds from the originally planned engine burning time of 118 seconds, a comprehensive analysis of all the data collected during the flight confirmed that the engine operated normally and maintained thrust stability during the entire flight. The analysis thoroughly covered the flight performance analysis data during flight such as combustion chamber pressure, electric pump output, control system operation, flight trajectory and attitude.

 

It was also confirmed that the inertial navigation system SISNAV of the Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia Aeroespacial (DCTA), which was carried by HANBIT-TLV, successfully completed its mission to collect the operational performance data in flight environment. This launch gave INNOSPACE its first achievement in performing payload launch service, and at the same time, it allowed DCTA to prove the normal operation of SISNAV throughout the entire flight process - which is being developed by DCTA - and to verify the development with the operational performance data collected during the flight.

 

According to the successful launch, INNOSPACE has become Korea’s first private launch vehicle company with proprietary rocket engine technology capable of entering the commercial launch market that settles small satellites into customer-requested orbits. It has been in an advanced position in engine development among the launch vehicle companies having hybrid rocket engine technology worldwide. Hybrid small satellite launch vehicle companies include Vaya Space (USA), Gilmour Space Technology (Australia), Nammo Space (Norway), and Hympulse (Germany).

 

“The success of HANBIT-TLV test launch means that INNOSPACE has technological capabilities enough to independently develop rockets and an opportunity to knock on the door of the global space launch market has opened for us. Beyond making a new history today, we will continue to promote research and development of small satellite launch vehicles, and eventually focus on stably entering the space launch market through commercialization preparations and sales activities for our corporate growth,” said Soo Jong Kim, CEO of INNOSPACE.

 

With this successful test launch to verify the flight performance of its rocket engine, INNOSPACE plans to gear up the step-by-step development of HANBIT series, the small satellite launcher. It aims to develop HANBIT-Nano, a two-stage small satellite launcher carrying a 50kg payload in 2023 and make its commercial debut in 2024.

 

“After five years since its establishment in September 2017, INNOSPACE has achieved its first successful test launch of HANBIT-TLV. As a South Korean private startup, with limited personnel and budget, we’ve encountered numerous difficulties in the process of developing a rocket with our own technology. However, we were able to make the impossible possible in a short time, and this is entirely thanks to the hard work and support of the employees and partners of INNOSPACE, who overcame the hurdles together,” added him.

 

INNOSPACE’s hybrid rocket engine, the only one of its kind in Korea, is characterized by the combination of advantages of liquid and solid rockets. The use of solid fuels and liquid oxygen (LOx) for propellants simplifies the structure and has the advantage of enabling thrust control. In particular, the core technology, high-performance paraffin-based solid fuel, is non-explosive: it is safe and reduces manufacturing time as well. The patented electric motor-driven oxidizer pump achieves miniaturization and lightweighting, contributing to securing price competitiveness.

 

With these innovative technologies, INNOSPACE obtained New Excellence Technology (NET) certification from the Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in December 2022 for ‘Paraffin-based Fuel Technology of Hybrid Rocket for Space Launch Vehicles’.