Brazil’s burgeoning space ambitions have suffered a significant setback after the inaugural commercial rocket launch from its Alcantara Space Center ended in a crash shortly after liftoff.
The incident has also dealt a blow to shares of South Korean satellite launch company Innospace.
The rocket initially followed its planned vertical trajectory after taking off at 10:13 p.m. local time (0113 GMT). However, just 30 seconds into its flight, an unspecified malfunction caused the craft to fall to the ground, according to Innospace CEO Kim Soo-jong.
A failed satellite launch at Alcantara in 2003 killed 21 people, including senior engineers, when a rocket exploded on the launchpad, setting Brazil’s space program back by a generation.
I remember the day, it was much more than just a setback, it was one of the saddest days ever for Brazillian science and engineering. Some of our brightest perished that day.
