Isar Aerospace Spectrum Rocket Reaches Orbit From Europe

Germany's next step into space Isar Aerospace Successfully Launches its Spectrum Rocket Into Space

2026-09-06 From Detlev Karg 1 min Reading Time

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German space company Isar Aerospace has successfully sent its Spectrum rocket into space on its second test flight, marking an important step towards independent European access to orbit.

Spectrum ahead of its second flight on the launch pad at Norway’s Andøya Spaceport. With the successful flight, Isar Aerospace has become the first company to launch satellites into orbit from continental Europe.(Photo: Isar Aerospace / ESA – ESA Standard Licence) — Spectrum ahead of its second flight on the launch pad at Norway’s Andøya Spaceport. With the successful flight, Isar Aerospace has become the first company to launch satellites into orbit from continental Europe.
(Photo: Isar Aerospace / ESA – ESA Standard Licence)

The launcher lifted off from Norway’s Andøya Spaceport at 22:12 and reached the Kármán line at around 100 kilometres altitude after almost four minutes. According to Isar Aerospace, Spectrum reached the orbit and deployed the payloads. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the achievement “the beginning of a new era”. The flight represents a major milestone for the Ottobrunn-based start-up after Spectrum’s first test ended in a crash just 30 seconds after lift-off in March 2025. The 28-metre launcher carried five scientific satellites and an experiment. It was not immediately clear whether the payloads had been successfully deployed into orbit.

Important progress for Isar Aerospace

Spectrum is intended to launch both civilian and military satellites into low Earth orbit, with Isar Aerospace ultimately targeting production of up to 40 rockets per year. The defence market is becoming increasingly important: around 60 per cent of customer enquiries now come from the military sector. The company says its order book already contains contracts worth several hundred million dollars through 2028.

A small step towards European strategic autonomy

The programme has wider strategic significance as Europe seeks to reduce its dependence on US launch providers, particularly SpaceX. Isar Aerospace has raised more than €500 million from investors and recently secured a €200 million contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of efforts to strengthen Europe’s sovereign launch capabilities.

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