Seoul, Dec 23 || The Hanbit-Nano, South Korea's first commercial orbital rocket, crashed shortly afterward due to an abnormality in the vehicle, its operator Innospace said.
The company noted that the rocket blasted off from the Alcantara Space Center at 10:13 p.m. Monday (local time) in Brazil, news agency reported.
However, the vehicle fell to the ground 30 seconds after liftoff, said Innospace.
The rocket crashed within a ground safety zone, with no casualties or additional damage reported, it added.
Flames were observed immediately after liftoff during a YouTube livestream of the launch, which was suspended shortly afterward.
Earlier in the day, the rocket launch was being pushed back due to unfavourable weather conditions at the launch site in Brazil.
The rocket was carrying a payload that included five satellites set to be deployed into a 300-kilometer low orbit.