Germany’s Isar Aerospace launches Spectrum rocket from Norway
German startup Isar Aerospace launched its uncrewed Spectrum rocket from the Andøya Spaceport in the Arctic part of Norway on September 5. The rocket, designed for small and medium payloads, carried five small satellites and an in-flight technology experiment.
Spectrum’s second launch
This was the company’s second rocket launch. During the first attempt in March 2025, the rocket crashed and exploded shortly after liftoff from the same site. No one was injured then, and Isar Aerospace said the flight had provided developers with a significant amount of data.
The Bavarian company described the current mission as both a qualification flight for the rocket and its first launch with a payload. At the time of publication, it was unknown whether Spectrum would be able to become the first orbital launch to take off from European territory, as Isar Aerospace aims to achieve.
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European launch plans
On the eve of the launch, Isar Aerospace co-founder and CEO Daniel Metzler said that access to space remains one of the biggest constraints for the space industry and the national security system.
In March, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the company’s launch site. Among the global participants in the satellite launch market, the report mentions SpaceX, which conducts launches from the United States, and ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran that uses the spaceport in French Guiana. The launch was reported by Channel NewsAsia, citing Reuters.
