German startup sends first commercial rocket into space from Europe

Isar Aerospace, a German startup, has successfully launched the first commercial rocket into orbit from continental Europe, marking a significant milestone for the European efforts to gain independent access to space.

The rocket, named Spectrum, was launched from the Andøya Spaceport in Arctic Norway on Sunday. Isar Aerospace plans to rapidly expand its satellite deployments following this successful launch, positioning itself as a key player in the growing market for satellite launches.

Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace, stated that "launch capability is right now the biggest bottleneck in the entire industry." Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, hailed the launch as "the beginning of a new era" and emphasized Europe's efforts to establish greater autonomy in space, as the global order once dominated by the US is shifting.

The EU's defence and space commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, also praised the achievement, noting that "Europe's independent access to space just got a major boost." The rocket carried five small satellites along with an in-flight technology experiment, demonstrating Isar's technological capabilities.

This launch was Isar's second attempt. The company's first rocket was launched 18 months ago but failed to reach orbit, instead plunging into the sea and exploding shortly after takeoff. Isar Aerospace currently has five more rockets in production and aims to scale up its operations to meet increasing demand, with a long-term goal of conducting about 40 launches per year.

The German company is also developing a second launch site in Nova Scotia, eastern Canada, to further bolster its capabilities in the global satellite launch market. Competitors in this market include global players like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which launches from the US, and the French firm ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran, which uses a spaceport in French Guiana, South America.