Isar Aerospace reaches orbit on second flight: a first for continental Europe

At 22:12 CEST, Isar Aerospace said its Spectrum rocket made orbit on its second flight from Andøya Spaceport, deployed its payloads, and became the first privately developed launcher to do that from continental Europe.

The 28-meter two-stage vehicle lifted off from Andøya Spaceport at 22:12 CEST on “Onward and Upward.” About four minutes later, according to Isar Aerospace, it had reached orbit. The flight also marked a rebound from last March’s first attempt, which crashed after about 30 seconds, followed by later weather, technical, and range delays.

Spectrum is built to carry up to 1,000 kg to low Earth orbit for dedicated small-payload missions and precise placement, not Falcon 9-style heavy lift. Isar Aerospace said this flight carried educational and startup satellites selected through the German Space Agency’s Microlauncher Competition as part of a European Space Agency (ESA) program. The timing, just days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s Paris space summit, also points to Europe’s push to rely less on non-European providers, with Rocket Factory Augsburg, PLD Space, Andøya Spaceport, and SaxaVord all part of that effort.

If you follow Europe’s launch market, keep an eye on Isar Aerospace. Founded in 2018, the company says it has raised €270 million, has an ESA deal worth about €200 million, gets 60% of its orders from defense, plans to produce 40 rockets a year near Munich, and has its manifest booked through 2028.

You can find mission details through Isar Aerospace’s official channels.