HANBIT-Nano | Flight 2

HANBIT-Nano Flight 2: South Korea's Push for Small-Satellite Launch Independence

On June 30, 2026, the South Korean aerospace startup Innospace marked a pivotal moment in its development with the second orbital launch attempt of its HANBIT-Nano rocket. This mission, dubbed HANBIT-Nano Flight 2, aimed to demonstrate the vehicle's reliability after an initial test flight, underscoring Innospace's ambition to carve out a niche in the burgeoning small-satellite launch market.

At its core, the mission's objectives centered on validating the HANBIT-Nano's ability to deliver payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO). The rocket is designed to carry up to 50 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, making it ideal for cubesats, nanosatellites, and other compact payloads. For Flight 2, the payload included a mix of commercial and experimental satellites from South Korean universities and private firms, focusing on Earth observation and technology demonstration. This capability addresses a growing demand for affordable, dedicated launches that bypass the ride-sharing constraints of larger rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9. By offering rapid turnaround times—potentially as short as weeks—Innospace positions HANBIT-Nano as a flexible option for constellations of small satellites used in telecommunications, remote sensing, and scientific research.

The HANBIT-Nano itself is a two-stage, hybrid-engine rocket standing approximately 16.3 meters tall with a diameter of 1.2 meters. Its first stage employs a hybrid propulsion system combining liquid oxidizer with solid fuel, which provides a balance of efficiency and simplicity over traditional liquid or solid rockets. This design choice reduces costs and enhances safety, as hybrid engines are less prone to catastrophic failures. The second stage uses a liquid bi-propellant system for precise orbital insertion. With a total launch mass of around 9,000 kilograms, the vehicle generates about 15 tons of thrust at liftoff, drawing on Innospace's expertise in propulsion technology honed from suborbital tests. These specs reflect a lean engineering approach, prioritizing modularity and scalability to compete with international players like Rocket Lab's Electron.

Performance history has been a mix of progress and setbacks. The inaugural Flight 1 in 2025 achieved partial success, reaching space but failing to attain stable orbit due to a second-stage anomaly. Lessons from that attempt—primarily refinements in engine ignition and trajectory control—were applied to Flight 2, which reportedly succeeded in deploying its payloads