German Startup Isar Aerospace Sends Spectrum Rocket to Orbit

Bavarian aerospace startup Isar Aerospace has achieved a historic milestone: its Spectrum rocket lifted off from the Andoya Space Center in northern Norway on Saturday evening and successfully reached Earth orbit, carrying five scientific satellites from several universities.

First private rocket from Europe to reach orbit

The company announced early Sunday morning: "We are in orbit!" CEO Daniel Metzler declared: "We have accomplished in a few years what the European space industry previously took decades to achieve. Europe now has sovereign access to space." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz extended congratulations, calling it "the beginning of a new era" and noting it was the first time such a mission had been completed from European soil into Earth orbit.

Spectrum rocket details

The two-stage Spectrum rocket stands 28 metres tall and is powered by ten engines. It was developed by the Ottobrunn-based startup near Munich to transport small and medium-sized satellites. The mission, named "Onward and Upward," carried scientific payloads from multiple university research groups. The live broadcast signal cut off after about ten minutes due to distance, but the rocket continued on its planned trajectory.

Significance for European space

Germany's Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space hailed the achievement, saying "Germany can do space." The success is a major step for European commercial launch capability at a time when the continent seeks to reduce dependence on non-European providers and compete with private players like SpaceX.