German Startup Isar Aerospace Launches Rocket into Orbit

The German startup Isar Aerospace launched its first rocket into space on Saturday, lifting off from the Andoeya Arctic Spaceport in Norway. The unmanned Spectrum rocket, designed to carry small and medium-sized payloads, carried five small satellites.

The flight is the first commercial launch from continental Europe to reach orbit, marking a step toward the continent's ability to send satellites into space from its own territory.

Norwegian Minister of Industry and Trade Cecilia Myrseth called the launch a breakthrough for the European space sector, saying: “The fact that we can now launch satellites from Andoeya strengthens Norwegian and European security in the turbulent times we live in.”

Major players in the satellite launch market include Elon Musk's SpaceX and the French company ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran that operates a spaceport in French Guiana, in South America.

Isar Aerospace attempted a launch from the same site 18 months ago, but the rocket crashed into the sea and exploded shortly after liftoff. No one was injured. The Bavarian company said Saturday's launch was intended as “both the vehicle's qualification mission and its first flight carrying payload”.

(Reuters, sak)