Weltraum: Isar Aerospace: Der 100-Milliarden-Plan der Raketenfirma

Isar Aerospace, a German rocket company founded by its current chief technology officer Josef Fleischmann, aims to make Germany a spacefaring nation and demonstrate Europe's capability to compete with future technologies. The start-up has grown from a small business into a major player in the German defense and space strategy. The founders have a plan worth 100 billion euros to achieve these goals.

During a recent interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper, Fleischmann shared his thoughts on the upcoming rocket launch and his decision to leave the company. On a clear night in early September, Fleischmann was on a balcony in northern Norway at the Andøya Spaceport, where Isar Aerospace plans to make history by launching a European-built rocket and presenting a German-made spacecraft that reaches orbit. The company's goal is to prove that Europe can keep up with the competition in the space race.

Fleischmann hopes everything goes according to plan and his rocket, which he and his team have poured over a decade of energy, capital, and passion into, does not explode on the launch pad. The night is clear, and the temperature is mild as the countdown begins. The engines ignite, and the rocket lifts off. Fleischmann watches as it reaches its maximum speed, stages separate cleanly, and the payload fairing deploys as expected.

Of the ten usual flight maneuvers, Spectrum 2, Isar Aerospace's rocket, manages seven on the first attempt, with communication lost after ten minutes. However, the rocket successfully deploys the satellites and burns up in the Earth's orbit.