Recent Activity
Innospace HANBIT-TLV suborbital test flight in March 2023 marked first commercial foreign launch attempt from Alcântara; further partnerships in negotiation
Investor Brief
Closest non-French equatorial spaceport accessible to U.S. and allied commercial operators. Brazil's hedge to capture share of the GTO and equatorial-LEO commercial market.
Ownership
Parent Entity
Regulatory Regime
Anchor Tenants
Latitude Advantage
Launch Azimuth Range
Country
🇧🇷Brazil
Region
South America
Established
1,990
Launches / Year
24
Years Active
36
Strategic Position
-2.3730° S, 44.3964° W
Azimuth: Approximately 0°–110° (north to east over open Atlantic)
2.3°S — ~13–25% GTO energy bonus vs. Kennedy Space Center (28.5°N)
Future Milestones
- 2026
Continued buildout of commercial pads under TSA framework
- 2027
Target first orbital commercial launch by a foreign operator from Alcântara
About
Alcântara Launch Center (Centro de Lançamento de Alcântara, CLA) is Brazil's primary orbital launch site and one of the most equatorially positioned spaceports in the world at just 2.3° south of the equator. This location confers a major energy advantage for equatorial and geostationary transfer missions versus mid-latitude sites. A 2019 Technology Safeguards Agreement with the United States cleared the way for commercial U.S. launches from Alcântara, opening the site to international operators including South Korea's Innospace, which conducted a suborbital test flight in 2023.
Key Features
Located at 2.3°S — among the closest launch sites to the equator globally
Up to ~13–25% GTO energy bonus versus mid-latitude sites (e.g. KSC)
Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) with the United States signed 2019
Supports sounding-rocket launches and VLS orbital vehicle development
International partnerships actively pursued to attract commercial launches
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Regular VS-30/VS-40 sounding-rocket launches for atmospheric research
VLS-1 development program — Brazil's indigenous orbital launch vehicle
VLS-1 V03 pad accident (Aug 2003) — 21 fatalities; reshaped the program
Innospace HANBIT-TLV suborbital test flight (Mar 2023) — Korean private rocket, suborbital only
Upcoming Launches From This Site
Next missions scheduled to fly from Alcantara Launch Center
- Provider
- Innospace
- Rocket
- HANBIT-Nano
- NET
- Pad
- HANBIT Pad
- Provider
- Innospace
- Rocket
- HANBIT-Nano
- NET
- Pad
- HANBIT Pad
Recent Launches From This Site
Most recent missions flown from Alcantara Launch Center
- HANBIT-TLV | SISNAVInnospaceSuccess
- HANBIT-Nano | SpacewardInnospaceFailure