BERLIN: German private space company Isar Aerospace has achieved a historic milestone by successfully launching its “Spectrum” orbital rocket into Earth’s orbit from continental Europe.
The 28-meter-tall, two-stage Spectrum rocket lifted off from the Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway and successfully deployed its payload of five CubeSats into low Earth orbit. Announcing the accomplishment on social media platform X, Isar Aerospace confirmed the achievement as the first successful orbital launch of a privately developed rocket from the European continent.
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action praised the successful flight as a testament to the nation’s technological expertise, innovation, and expanding space capabilities. The launch marked the second orbital attempt for the Spectrum rocket following an initial test flight roughly 17 months prior that suffered an early anomaly. The successful deployment paves the way for commercial launch autonomy and expanded satellite deployment capabilities across Western Europe.
