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Korean launch company Innospace has recently signed an agreement with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) to conduct multiple orbital missions from the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC) in Australia’s Northern Territory. This partnership marks Innospace as the first commercial company to commit to long-term tenancy and regular launches at the new spaceport.

The agreement between Innospace and ELA is set to span five years, with the first launches from the ASC expected to begin in early 2025 and continue through December 2028. As part of the deal, Innospace will have access to a space launch complex (SLC) consisting of two launch pads and a horizontal integration facility (HIF) for rocket assembly and payload integration.

Equatorial Launch Australia will also assist Innospace in obtaining the necessary launch permit from Australia. This process is estimated to take between 6 and 14 months.

Innospace has already achieved success in the field of space exploration, having launched a suborbital test vehicle called HANBIT-TLV in March of this year. This vehicle was powered by a hybrid rocket engine. The company is currently developing a range of launch vehicles specifically designed to carry payloads ranging from 50 kg to 500 kg to a Sun Synchronous Orbit at 500 km.

The CEO of Innospace, Soojong Kim, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating that securing the ASC as a launch spaceport offers numerous advantages. The equatorial location of the spaceport and the multi-launch agreement with ELA provide launch efficiencies, granting customers greater flexibility in scheduling and orbit access. Innospace aims to enable satellite customers to achieve significant innovation through their orbital launch services from the ASC.

With this new collaboration, Innospace and Equatorial Launch Australia are poised to make significant strides in the commercial space launch industry, providing enhanced opportunities for innovation and exploration in space.

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