Brazilian Air Force Terminates INNOSPACE SEBIT Rocket After Trajectory Deviation on Debut Flight
INNOSPACE, a South Korean commercial launch provider, said the Brazilian Air Force activated the Flight Termination System during the first test flight of its SEBIT suborbital rocket on August 19, 2026, after the vehicle deviated from its planned trajectory. The rocket lifted off normally before range safety officers ended the mission over a designated maritime zone. The flight took place at 16:30 BRT at the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil to verify the rocket's operational performance and fli
OST Staff · August 20, 2026
INNOSPACE, a South Korean commercial launch provider, said the Brazilian Air Force activated the Flight Termination System during the first test flight of its SEBIT suborbital rocket on August 19, 2026, after the vehicle deviated from its planned trajectory. The rocket lifted off normally before range safety officers ended the mission over a designated maritime zone.
The flight took place at 16:30 BRT at the Alcântara Space Center in Brazil to verify the rocket's operational performance and flight systems. The launch marked the first commercial agreement facilitated by ALADA, the Brazilian Aerospace Projects Company, for the operational use of state-owned facilities at the Alcântara Space Center.
The single-stage SEBIT rocket is powered by a three-ton-class hybrid rocket engine designed to carry customer payloads to suborbital altitudes of 100 kilometers or below for technological testing, verification, and scientific research. During the test, SEBIT ignited on INNOSPACE's proprietary launch pad and completed a normal liftoff. Tracking systems then detected movement deviating from the planned trajectory.
In compliance with spaceport range safety protocols, the Brazilian Air Force executed the flight termination command, bringing the vehicle down within a designated maritime safety zone off the Brazilian coast without injury or property damage. INNOSPACE recovered telemetry covering launch pad systems, hybrid engine propulsion performance, tracking, and guidance, navigation, and control parameters. Engineering teams are conducting a root-cause analysis to determine the precise altitude, velocity, and cause of the trajectory deviation.
"The data and operational experience secured through this first test flight will be an important asset for advancing SEBIT's suborbital test and verification services," said Soojong Kim, Founder and CEO of INNOSPACE. "Through repeated flights, we will continuously raise service reliability and grow SEBIT into a mission-focused suborbital space transportation platform that customers can rely on."
INNOSPACE said the data and operational experience gained from the flight will support the advancement of SEBIT's suborbital test and verification services. Kim framed repeated flights as the path to raising service reliability and building SEBIT into a mission-focused suborbital transportation platform.
INNOSPACE plans to implement engineering adjustments based on the recovered telemetry data before scheduling follow-up suborbital test flights.