Surrey Space Center, May 7 2023 | Following more than a year of delay, the Probe Rocket made its first flight in full stack. Despite continuation, the plan was scaled down to aim for Sub-Orbital Flight instead of a full Orbital Flight Test. The rocket lifted off from the pad with 3 of its 33 Hwacha Engines shut down, with more being disabled mid-flight due to technical problems. After about a minute during the flight, several flight control systems failed which resulted in cartwheels that forced the launch control to activate an automatic termination system. However, further problems in the ATS resulted in a 40 second delay before the explosives were activated to self-destruct the rocket as it tumbled from the sky. Due to its course, the rocket crashed at the Caspian, just off the coast of Gullicken where the debris were later recovered. Despite the failure, the event was celebrated by many space enthusiasts and scientists.
After the flight, the KRSA published photos of the launch pads that were heavily damaged by the powerful Hwacha engines as the rocket lifted off, as well as the many tons of dirt that were displaced. In a statement, the agency said they noted the problems and issues encountered and will seek to improve on the mistakes. The statement includes a list of certain areas to be improved, including the launch pad which will be strengthened and improved with Water Deluge System to be installed in the future to dampen the force created by the engines, which they admitted to have underestimated the power of.