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The Spectrum rocket on the launch pad at And\u00f8ya Space Center in Norway<\/p>\n
Wingmen-Media<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
Preparations are under way for a rocket test flight in Norway that could make history and give Europe greater independence from the market leader in orbital launches, the United States.<\/p>\n
The company that developed the new rocket, dubbed Spectrum, is German-based Isar Aerospace. Spectrum is 28 metres tall, composed of two stages and uses oxygen and propane as propellant. Isar Aerospace says the aim of the test flight, which will carry no payload, is \u201cto collect as much data and experience as possible\u201d. The company told New Scientist<\/em> that its staff were all too busy preparing for its test flight for an interview.<\/p>\n The launch will take place at And\u00f8ya Space Center in Norway, and has been granted permission to go ahead by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Isar Aerospace says it is planning to launch on 24 March between 12.30pm and 3.30pm CET, weather permitting.<\/p>\n If successful, the launch will be the first flight of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe, excluding Russia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It does, and some are quite established. The market leader, Arianespace, was founded 45 years ago and carries out launches in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the French national space agency, CNES. But these launches take place in French Guiana, a French territory located in South America, and the rockets themselves \u2013 Vega C and Ariane 6 \u2013 are built by other companies.<\/p>\n In addition to Isar Aerospace, there are a clutch of European start-ups looking to start competing, including Spain\u2019s Zero 2 Infinity\u00a0and Germany\u2019s Rocket Factory Augsburg and HyImpulse.<\/p>\n Davide Amato at Imperial College London says there are a lot of reasons why there could be demand for smaller, European launch providers. For one thing, the logistics of making a satellite in Europe and then launching it in Europe \u2013 rather than having to ship it halfway around the world \u2013 would be simpler and cheaper.<\/p>\n It would also be simpler to have small, cheap launch vehicles that could put a single satellite into orbit, rather than having to share a ride with several other missions, all of which may want to reach a different height or orbit.<\/p>\n Then there is the current political situation. Companies and countries may not want to rely on US launch providers, especially SpaceX, given its unpredictable CEO, Elon Musk, and his links to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n These concerns were hinted at by Isar Aerospace\u2019s CEO Daniel Metzler in a recent statement: \u201cIn today\u2019s geopolitical climate, our first test flight is about much more than a rocket launch.\u201d<\/p>\n Rockets launching close to the equator get a boost. Thanks to the planet\u2019s spin, they start out travelling much faster relative to the centre of Earth than rockets launching near the poles.<\/p>\n And\u00f8ya Space Center is located at 69\u00b0 north, so Earth\u2019s rotational speed is considerably weaker there than in French Guiana. But this isn\u2019t important for high-inclination orbits: those that make a bigger angle with the equator.<\/p>\n Isar Aerospace says it will be able to put 1500-kilogram payloads into orbit up to 30 times a year, in orbital inclinations from 90\u00b0 to 110.6\u00b0. This would include sun-synchronous orbits \u2013 those that always pass over a given point at the same local time \u2013 which are ideal for spy and weather satellites. Isar already has a contract to put Arctic Ocean surveillance satellites into just such an orbit for the Norwegian Space Agency.<\/p>\n The launch site is also reasonably free of air and marine traffic, and it benefits from all the infrastructure needed for small launch vehicles. \u201cIt will be more limited in terms of what you can achieve, but it\u2019s still, I think, reasonable,\u201d says Amato.<\/p>\n Amato says Isar Aerospace could be following SpaceX away from the traditional space approach of extensive design and cautious testing to a more Silicon Valley \u201ctest, fail, improve\u201d strategy. \u201cI would expect failure,\u201d says Amato. \u201cWhich is not necessarily bad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the question is, can you get to a design that survives and that\u2019s reliable before you run out of money?\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the race. You\u2019re racing your investors, basically.\u201d<\/p>\n Topics:<\/p>\nWhere and when will the launch take place?<\/h2>\n
Does Europe already have other launch companies?<\/h2>\n
Why does Europe need its own launchers?<\/h2>\n
Is Norway a good place to launch?<\/h2>\n
Will Isar be successful ?<\/h2>\n