A German startup, Isar Aerospace, has launched the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe. The uncrewed Spectrum rocket successfully blasted off from Andøya Spaceport in Arctic Norway on Sunday, marking a milestone for Europe's efforts to secure independent access to space.
Isar Aerospace stated it plans to rapidly expand satellite deployments following this first orbital launch. The company's co-founder and CEO, Daniel Metzler, told reporters that "Launch capability is right now the biggest bottleneck in the entire industry."
The launch carried five small satellites and an in-flight technology experiment. This was Isar's second launch, coming 18 months after its first rocket plunged into the sea and exploded shortly after takeoff from the same site. The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, called the launch "the beginning of a new era."
Isar has indicated it has five more rockets in production and aims to scale up operations to meet demand, with a long-term goal of conducting around 40 launches annually. The company is also developing a second launch site in Nova Scotia, Canada.