Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Brazil’s plane maker Embraer, conducted the first flight of the full-scale prototype of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state. The unmanned flight took place last Friday (Dec. 19).

According to the company, the integration of essential aircraft systems – such as the fifth-generation fly-by-wire concept – and rotors dedicated exclusively to vertical flight were tested successfully.

The aircraft performed a hover flight – which is when the equipment remains motionless in the air above a fixed point on the ground, maintaining constant altitude and position, requiring precise control to balance lift and weight.

From now on, Eve will gradually expand testing until it achieves fully wingborne flight with the aircraft in 2026.

“The prototype performed exactly as predicted by our models. With the data, we will expand the aircraft’s envelope and move forward with wingborne transition flight in a disciplined manner, increasing to hundreds of flights throughout 2026 and building the knowledge necessary for type certification,” Eve’s Chief Technology Officer Luiz Valentini said.

According to the company’s Chief Product Officer Jorge Bittercourt, the flight demonstrates the aircraft’s reliability, efficiency, and simplicity.

“We have validated critical elements, from our lift rotor architecture to the aircraft’s flight mechanics, and now we are moving on to the flight test phase with a focus on evolving the product's maturity,” he stated.

Funding

The aircraft project is funded by FINEP the Brazilian government’s innovation agency and has received some BRL 37 million in economic subsidies.

According to Finep President Luiz Antônio Elias, the project positions Brazil at the forefront of urban air mobility. “This inaugural flight embodies Brazil’s strategy to lead the global transition to sustainable aviation, with cutting-edge technologies such as electric propulsion and artificial intelligence,” he noted.

The launch of the Hanbit-Nano rocket, developed by South Korean company Innospace, will take place from the Alcântara Launch Center in Maranhão state and is scheduled for Wednesday (Dec. 17) at 3:45 pm Brasília time.

According to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which will conduct the operation, the launch window runs from December 16 to 22. This is the first commercial launch of a space vehicle from Brazilian territory.

“It will be an inaugural flight from Brazil, symbolizing the country’s entry into the global space launch market,” said Colonel Clóvis Martins de Souza, director of the launch center.

The mission, called Operation Spaceward, involves around 400 professionals – including Brazilians, both military and civilian, and South Koreans. The Air Force described the inititive as an unprecedented and strategic advance for the Brazilian Space Program.

“It is a milestone that demonstrates our technical maturity and inserts Brazil into the global commercial launch market. Alcântara is establishing itself as a strategic space hub, attracting investment, companies, and innovation. It is a significant step for Brazil’s future in space,” said the head of the CLA Operations Division, Major Engineer Robson Coelho de Oliveira.

The space vehicle – which is 21.8 meters long, 1.4 meters in diameter, and weighs 20 tons – will carry satellites into low Earth orbit, at an altitude of approximately 300 km and an inclination of 40 degrees.

A total of eight payloads are inside the fairing at the top of the launch vehicle – five small satellites for placement in orbit and three experimental devices. The equipment's propulsion is hybrid, using solid and liquid fuel.