The launch window for the South Korean Hanbit-Nano rocket from the Alcântara Launch Center, in Maranhão, has been extended until December 22nd. With the change in the Operation Spaceward schedule, the estimated date for the initial launch attempt, initially scheduled for Saturday (22), was moved to December 17.
According to the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the success of the operation, from national territory, will represent Brazil’s entry into the restricted global rocket launching market, boosting investments, income generation and technological development.
21.8 meters high; 1.4 meters in diameter; and approximately 20 tons, the Hanbit-Nanor, from the South Korean company Innospace, lwill go on board, to place into orbit, five satellites and three experiments developed by Brazilian and Indian universities and companies.
Operation Spaceward is coordinated by AEB in partnership with the Brazilian Air Force.
Follow EBC’s complete coverage at COP30
Loads
Of the eight loads transported, seven are Brazilian and one is foreign.
“Among the loads shipped, three have direct support from AEB, which enabled their participation in the launch: the FloripaSat-2A and FloripaSat-2B nanosatellites, developed by the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), and the Inertial Navigation System (SNI-GNSS), created by a consortium formed by the companies Concert Space, Cron and Horuseye Tech”, details AEB.
According to the agency, another payload with AEB’s participation is PION-BR2 – Cientistas de Alcântara, an educational satellite developed by the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), in partnership with AEB, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the startup PION. The project is part of the Cientistas de Alcântara program, an initiative that encourages young people from Maranhão to get closer to science and space technology.
The director of the Alcântara Launch Center (CLA), Clóvis Martins, highlights that Brazil’s entry into this market will result in more income, jobs and investments in the country. He explains that the decision to expand the launch window was taken “jointly and based on technical assessments”.
General Coordinator of the Operation, Rogério Moreira Cazo explains that the tests to validate the avionics systems indicated the “need for improvements to the vehicle before the flight”, he said when stating that adjustments like this are common in inaugural missions.
Furthermore, according to the agency, the extension of the operational period will also allow improvements in the processing of signals collected from the space vehicle. These signals are used in evaluating performance during launch.
Hanbit-Nano
According to the Brazilian Space Agency, the Hanbit-Nano is a two-stage orbital vehicle that uses hybrid propulsion. It is designed to place up to 90 kilograms of payload into a 500 kilometer orbit.
In the first stage, it uses a hybrid engine of 25 tons of thrust, powered by paraffin-based solid fuel and liquid oxidizer. AEB explains that this combination offers structural simplicity, low operating costs and high safety.
In the second stage, it can operate with two different engines, depending on the mission: the HyPER, a high-performance hybrid engine, and the LiMER, a liquid methane-based engine with an electric pump.
It has a Flight Termination System (FTS) that guarantees immediate interruption of flight progression if any anomaly occurs.
The project involved the participation of 247 professionals. Among them, 102 engineers with exclusive dedication.
The teams work in four areas of specialty: Propulsion for the First Stage, Methane-Based Engine for the Second Stage, Electric Pump Power and Control Systems and Avionics.
