German space company Isar Aerospace has successfully launched five satellites into Earth orbit during the second test flight of its launch vehicle.
The rocket took off from the Norwegian spaceport Andøya on Saturday at 10:12 p.m., as seen on a livestream. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre congratulated the company, with Merz choosing grand words: "This is the beginning of a new era." According to Isar Aerospace CEO Daniel Metzler, Spectrum rockets three through seven are already under construction. "Europe can be fast and deliver."
Great success for a startup
During the first test flight in March 2025, only 30 seconds passed before the crash. The company, based in Ottobrunn near Munich, thus celebrated a major success after months of delays and postponement of the second test flight four times.
According to the presenters during the live broadcast, the 28-ton rocket reached an altitude of about 100 kilometers above the ground—the so-called Kármán line, which marks the imaginary border to space—just under four minutes after launch. The rocket's further flight into orbit also proceeded smoothly, according to the report, until the Spectrum deployed the scientific satellites of several universities in low Earth orbits a good 500 kilometers above the ground.
During the live broadcast, the separation of the first stage could be seen. "For the first time, such a flight into Earth orbit from the European continent has succeeded," Chancellor Merz announced during the night. The company itself called the successful flight a "turning point for Europe" in a press release.
"In a few years, we have achieved what the European space industry previously took decades to accomplish," Metzler explained. "Europe now has sovereign access to space."
Originally, the Spectrum rocket was supposed to take off as early as January. But the first date was postponed due to a defective valve, and during the second attempt in March, a Norwegian fisherman got in the way after failing to leave the safety zone in the waters off the launch site in time with his boat. In April, launch preparations were aborted due to a leaking pressure vessel, and in June there was another problem.
Isar Aerospace intends to follow up with further launches in Norway this year and next. Starting in early 2028, the Spectrum rockets are also set to launch from a planned second launch base in Canada, and according to Isar Aerospace Mission Director Alexandre Dalloneau, launches from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana are also under discussion.
Company success of strategic importance for Europe
Once ready for serial production, the Spectrum is intended to carry so-called civil and military satellites into low Earth orbits, with plans to produce 40 rockets per year. Chancellor Merz's exuberant congratulations can also be explained by the fact that the German government, the EU, and other European states have a strategic interest in the success of the company and its good 400 employees.
Dependence on US technology and SpaceX expected to shrink
The reason is Europe's current widespread inability to launch satellites into space using its own technology. For a long time, the vast majority of European satellites have been transported into space by SpaceX. This is unpopular among European space companies because clients must disclose the technical specifications of their satellites in the US. According to Isar Aerospace, the US launched 198 rockets last year, while Europe launched only eight.
"Strategic access to space and not being dependent on a monopoly is, frankly speaking, extremely important for our security, for our economy, for our strategic autonomy," Metzler said on Sunday morning. Joining the crowd of well-wishers were Research Minister Dorothee Bär and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (both CSU).
According to company figures, Isar Aerospace has raised over half a billion euros in investor funds to date. Most recently, the startup signed a 200 million euro contract with the European Space Agency (ESA)—part of an ESA program designed to accelerate the development of European launch vehicles.
Around 60 percent of inquiries to Isar Aerospace now come from the military sector, as CEO Metzler reported in the spring. According to the company, Isar Aerospace is already fully booked with orders worth several hundred million dollars through 2028, even though the rocket is not yet ready for serial production. Chancellor Merz had visited the site in Andøya on March 13 together with Norwegian Prime Minister Støre.
Delayed Ariane 6 also expected to gain momentum
However, the Bavarian Spectrum rocket will not be able to head for greater altitudes in space even when it eventually reaches serial production. The French-German ArianeGroup is working on that, aiming to launch a total of seven to eight rockets of the years-delayed Ariane 6 type this year. So far, according to the count of the trade portal "European Spaceflight," there have been four Ariane launches this year. Unlike the Spectrum, the Ariane is a large heavy-lift launch vehicle that can carry far heavier payloads into geostationary orbits just under 36,000 kilometers above the ground.
