In the next few days, the first commercial rocket, manufactured under a contract with a private company, will be launched from the Alcantara launch center in Maranhao. It is expected that the launch of the South Korean rocket HANBIT-TLV company Innospace will take place on December 19 at 6 am.

Called Astrolabio, the operation involves the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the autarchy of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and Innospace, a South Korean satellite launch vehicle startup.

“Brazil has the ambition to become one of the most important players in the space transport scenario thanks to all the geographic features and our skills. And this operation with Innospace is historic as it marks the first private exploitation of the port space of Alcantara. This opens a new chapter in our space program and opens up new perspectives for our space economy,” said Brazilian Space Agency President Carlos Augusto Teixeira de Moura.

He explained that the idea is that after this pioneering launch, there will be several others, not only from Innospace itself, but also from other companies. For now, the South Korean rocket will only make a suborbital flight using an engine, but later Innospace will carry out more complex launches until it reaches the state of putting satellites into orbit.

The Canadian company is already planning a launch from Alcantara in the middle of next year, and talks are underway for others. According to Carlos Augusto Teixeira, perhaps in the second half of the year, a third private company will lay claim to the port of Alcantara.

As the AEB president explained, the Astrolabio operation is not only considered a milestone, but will also benefit the two agents involved. “This operation has two goals: one for the operator of the Innospace vehicle, who will experience in flight an unprecedented hybrid engine developed by him. From our point of view, it is we who use the launch center as a port space, serving an external customer. More or less like an international airport when it receives an airline plane from abroad. This is a great opportunity to qualify our systems for private use,” he said.

Last Thursday (December 15), the Alcantara Launch Center successfully conducted the first vertical test to launch a South Korean rocket. On December 3, parts of the rocket from South Korea arrived at San Luis International Airport (Massachusetts) on a Boeing 747. More than 8 tons of components were delivered by 3 trucks to the city of Alcantara (Massachusetts).

enhanced space program

The use of the Alcantara Launch Center and the resumption of the Brazilian space program has been one of the priorities of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation since 2019. One of the first steps was to work with the National Congress to approve technology safeguards. Agreement (ACT), which was in force for 20 years. In October 2019, the deal passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The AST is an agreement in which Brazil is committed to protecting American technology used in the components of airborne rockets or satellites that will be launched from the Alcantara spaceport.

The ministry’s next step was the creation of the Integrated Development Commission and Development Program, which brought together members of the federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as the regional community, to adopt policies that guide the economic and social potential of the launch. City center and its population.

On the other hand, the Brazilian Space Agency revised the licensing rules and issued a public notice to identify private interest in using the Alcântara launch center, in which four companies were qualified, allowing the current launch of Innospace.