SEOUL– Innospace, a South Korean space startup, said Sunday that it has postponed the launch of its suborbital test launch vehicle, HANBIT-TLV, by a day due to a rain forecast.
The 8.4-ton thrust single stage hybrid rocket had arrived at the Alcantara Space Center in northern Brazil after leaving South Korea on Dec. 3. It was set to be launched at Monday 6 a.m. (local time).
“Due to a rain forecast, the test launch of the HANBIT-TLV will be conducted at Tuesday 6 a.m. in Brazil,” a company official said, adding that up to 40 millimeters of rain with an average speed 11 meters per second was expected at the center site on Sunday and Monday.
The HANBIT-TLV, the first civilian small satellite launcher in South Korea, is a test project to validate the first stage engine of HANBIT-Nano, a commercial rocket for small satellites capable of carrying a 50 kilogram payload.
Innospace signed an agreement with the Brazilian Department of Aerospace Science and Technology in April to launch the latter’s inertial navigation system, called SISNAV, being carried onboard as a payload of HANBIT-TLV.
It is common for launches to be rescheduled depending on weather conditions.
Source: Yonhap News Agency