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Mon 24 Mar 2025
Isar Aerospace to launch its first test flight mission, ‘Going Full Spectrum’, from Andøya Spaceport in Norway.
The European space company, which is headquartered in Munich, is making final preparations to launch its orbital launch vehicle Spectrum.
The 28-metre Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle designed for small and medium-sized satellites. Andøya is the first operational spaceport in continental Europe.
The launch window opens from 12.30 to 15.30 CET today (24 March), subject to weather, safety and range infrastructure.
The first test flight is the culmination of a seven-year journey of developing the launch vehicle in-house. It will mark the first integrated test of all systems and tens of thousands of components.
While Isar Aerospace says that the possibility of this vehicle reaching orbit on this first test flight is slim, the flight will enable the firm to collect as much data and experience as possible. No customer payloads are on board this flight.
“Whatever the outcome, Isar Aerospace’s upcoming Spectrum launch will be historic: the first commercial orbital launch from mainland Europe,” said Josef Aschbacher, director-general of the European Space Agency (ESA).
In mid-February 2025, Isar Aerospace completed the pre-flight stage testing operations of Spectrum with a 30-second integrated nine-engine static fire test of stage 1. This achievement can be viewed in the video below.
While Isar Aerospace is a separate entity to the ESA, the agency has provided the start-up with support and co-funding.
Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 with the aim of developing, building and operating launch vehicles for transporting small and medium-sized satellites as well as satellite constellations into Earth’s orbit.
It has built the Spectrum launch vehicle from scratch, with help from more than €400m in total funding from international investors.
Using a vertically integrated approach and a highly automated serial production, the firm says this has enabled it to manufacture launch vehicles at a fraction of the cost they are currently produced in Europe.
Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of Isar Aerospace, said: “We are approaching the most important moment of our journey so far, and I would like to thank all our team, partners, customers and investors who have been accompanying and trusting us.
“In today’s geopolitical climate, our first test flight is about much more than a rocket launch: space is one of the most critical platforms for our security, resilience and technological advancement.”
Earlier this year, aerospace company Orbex, headquartered in Forres in northern Scotland, announced it plans to launch the first UK-made orbital rocket from SaxaVord in Scotland later this year.