THE South Corean Innospace will be the first private aerospace company to launch a rocket from the launch center in Alcântara, in northern Brazil, said the president of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), Carlos Moura, this Friday (17th).
The company, which plans to make small-scale launches satellites cheaper accessible in various locations around the world, is still developing its rocket and will test it in an experimental launch at Alcântara in December, Moura said in an interview.
Brazil hopes to get a share of the market for launching small satellites by offering its base in Alcântara, whose location on the Atlantic coast. near the equator line. reduces fuel costs because satellites don’t have to travel as far to reach orbit.
The North American rocket company Hyperion withdrew from negotiations with Brazil and Innospace took over as the main operator of the Alcântara base, managed by Brazilian air force (FAB).
Canadian aerospace company C6 Launch Systems, which in 2021 obtained a license to operate in Brazil, plans a launch from Alcântara in 2023. Virginia-based Orion AST, which plans flights with the initial purpose of collecting space junk, has made no progress, said Moura.
Virgin Orbit, owned by businessman Richard Branson, also received approval to operate in the country and will use Alcântara’s 2.6-kilometer runway for its Boeing 747 to take off and launch rockets that put small satellites in low Earth orbit.
Source: CNN Brasil
