It was a historic moment for Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) when the Spectrum launch vehicle from the Munich space company Isar Aerospace reached orbit on Saturday evening. It is the first rocket developed and built in Germany that made it into space. “This is the beginning of a new era,” Merz congratulated the start-up, which was founded in 2018. CEO and founder Daniel Metzler was proud at the press conference on Sunday that Isar Aerospace is the first private company from Europe to reach space.
He wants to open a new chapter in European space travel with the successful test flight of the rocket, which was launched from the Norwegian spaceport Andøya: "What has previously taken decades in European space travel has been achieved in just a few years: Europe and its partners can now launch into space confidently and flexibly." Metzler sees the successful test flight not only as “a technical masterpiece”, but as a breakthrough that will influence the strategic, economic and technological future of Europe.
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The start was broadcast on the Internet via YouTube on Saturday evening. According to the moderators, just four minutes after launch, the rocket reached an altitude of around 100 kilometers above the ground - the so-called Kármán line, which marks the imaginary boundary to space. In addition, the 28 meter high Spectrum rocket was able to deploy the payload - five scientific satellites from several universities and a scientific experiment - into orbit. “These are the moments we work for,” said Metzler.
The second test flight failed four times earlier this year. In mid-June it was due to irregularities in the rocket's fluid system, in mid-April there was a leak in the pressure vessel, at the end of March a Norwegian fishing boat entered the safety zone, and at the end of January the launch had to be canceled due to a faulty valve. Metzler's team has overcome the setbacks, so they are all the more pleased that the second test flight was successful.
Bottleneck rocket launch sites
During the first test flight last year, the rocket crashed 30 seconds after takeoff. But for Metzler, every test, even if it fails, is important because this is the only way the company can gain important data and insights. “Today Isar Aerospace opened up space from continental Europe,” explained Metzler after the successful test flight. He continues to see launch sites for rockets as the biggest bottleneck in global space travel.
According to him, private and public customers now have a real alternative available. Europe has a lot of catching up to do: Last year there were 198 rocket launches in the United States and 124 in the rest of the world, mostly in China and Russia. Europe, on the other hand, only had eight rocket launches. Isar Aerospace is already preparing the third test flight. The production of the rocket is likely to be in its final stages. According to Metzler, test flights four to seven are already in production.
In the future, Isar Aerospace will also be able to launch its rockets from a launch site in Canada. Metzler is planning the first rocket launch there in 2028. Rockets that are relevant for earth observation and communications satellites are to take off from Nova Scotia. Metzler announced that test flights three to seven would all take off from Norway. He was not yet able to give an exact date for the third test flight.
Isar Aerospace is currently relocating its production capacities from Ottobrunn to Parsdorf, i.e. from a southern to a northern suburb of Munich. In Parsdorf, the space company is increasing its production area tenfold. Metzler intends to produce 40 rockets there per year from 2030 onwards. Production capacity is currently in the single digits. 500 people work for Isar Aerospace. The start-up expects to have 600 employees by the end of the year.
More and more inquiries from the military environment
Armaments-related inquiries at Isar Aerospace continue to increase rapidly. Metzler estimates the proportion of inquiries from the military environment to be up to 70 percent. Last year, commercial interests still dominated at 85 percent. Sending satellites into space via Isar Aerospace is a very sought-after commodity: According to the company, it is fully booked until 2028.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) wants to invest 35 billion euros in security architecture in space by 2030. He believes the expansion of rocket launch sites is crucial. The Bundeswehr has so far had to send its satellites into space via SpaceX, Elon Musk's American space company. There is a big gap between SpaceX and Isar Aerospace: the US company is valued at two trillion dollars, while Isar Aerospace only has two billion euros.
Metzler currently believes his company is sufficiently financed, even though investor interest may have increased due to the successful test flight. An IPO is currently not planned. After the breakthrough was achieved with the second test flight, Metzler has other priorities: “Now it’s time to ramp up production, process orders and meet the growing global demand.”
