The Isar Aerospace spectrum should be the first commercial orbital launch vehicle to take off from continental Europe, starting from the Norway of Andøya Spaceport. Courtesy: Isar Aerospace
Update March 27: Due to meteorological restrictions, Isar Aerospace has reprogrammed its spectrum launch until Saturday 29 March.
After canceling the test flight on Monday, a German space flight company determined his next opportunity to launch the first commercial orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe.
Isar Aerospace, based in Munich, postponed the debut launch of his Spectrum rocket, citing unfavorable winds at the Norway of Andøya Spaceport. Tuesday, Isar said that he now turns to Thursday at 7:30 am for the long -awaited test flight, which could open the way for a more robust European presence in the commercial space sector.
The mission will not have a useful load, rather, will act as the first integrated test of all rocket systems. And whatever happens, Isar said I will consider the test as a success.
“Rather than relying on years of computer simulations that hope for the first attempt, we embrace the real world tests,” said Daniel Metzler, CEO and co -founder of Isar, in a post by LinkedIn. “This first flight test concerns the collection of as many data and possible experience. Start. Learn. Repeat.”
Spectrum represents Isar’s offer to capture a slice of the small and medium satellite launch market, which is dominated by Spacex’s Falcon 9. The reusable model represented more than half of all global orbital launch attempts in 2024.
It is also expected that it will compete with the family of Razzi Ariane, on which the European Space Agency (ESA) has relying for decades. Ariane vehicles are built by a consortium of European companies led by Arianespace and mainly supported by the French government. But they are expensive, not given and generally launch themselves from the Guian Space Center of French in South America.
Standing for about 92 feet in height with a diameter of about 6 feet, the spectrum is designed to transport useful loads up to 2,200 pounds with low earth orbit. The two -stage vehicle burns 40 tons of liquid and propane oxygen through the nine first stadium eagles and the second -stage single stage. Unlike Falcon 9, however, the vehicle is not reusable, which is what has allowed Spacex to reduce the launch costs and take command of the market.
Isar’s goal is to produce up to 40 spectrum vehicles per year in its structure near Munich. For Metzler, it builds almost all components at home and is already producing two other rockets. The company operates with approximately $ 435 million in funding from private investors, as well as the innovation fund of NATO and the German government.
The European Space Agency (ESA), in particular, has also poured millions in Isar and other commercial launch providers through its push! plan. On Monday, the space agency opened the European Launcher Challenge, which invites candidates to compete for private launch services contracts. The moves reflect the embrace of the NASA of the commercial companies to support the swaps of the crew of Astronauti ISS, scientific missions and a series of other functions.
“Whatever the result, the next spectrum launch of Isar Aerospace will be historic: the first commercial orbital launch from continental Europe”, Josef Aschbacher, General Manager of ASA, wrote last week on X. “The support and Cofunding that the European Space Agency gave to Isar Aerospace and other startups of the launching service provider that is paying for the greatest autonomy in Europe.”
As Metzler wrote on LinkedIn, rockets built privately as Spectrum could help ESA to develop their “competitive, flexible and independent” spatial sector.
Philippe Baptiste, French minister for higher education and research and a vocal critic of the administration of President Donald Trump, echoed to that feeling. The new member of the Ariane family, Ariane 6, made his debut about a year after Ariane 5 was withdrawn and completed her first commercial mission at the beginning of this month. Following that flight, Baptiste said the need for a European alternative to the United States orbital launch industry such as President Donald Trump and Spacex CEO Elon Musk target Nasa and his programs, such as the International Space Station (ISS).
“If we want to maintain our independence, guarantee our safety and preserve our sovereignty, we must equip ourselves with the means for strategic autonomy and space is an essential part of this,” Baptiste said.
After the debut flight of Spectrum, the rocket should launch small satellites on behalf of the German space agency in DLR. At the beginning of this month, Isar also signed a contract with the Norwegian Space Agency to launch his Arch Ocean Surveillance satellites from Andøya until 2028.
Note of the editor: a version of this story appeared for the first time Fly.
