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\t\t\t\t\t\t05\/09\/2026<\/span> Today German company Isar Aerospace successfully reached orbit with their Spectrum launcher, lifting off from And\u00f8ya Spaceport in Norway.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n At 21:12 BST\/22:12 CEST Isar Aerospace\u2019s two-stage launch vehicle\u00a0soared from the launch pad. Spectrum is 28 m tall, 2 m in diameter and, with its ten engines, it is targeting to launch payloads of up to 1000 kg to low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n \u201cA historic launch from And\u00f8ya Spaceport in Norway today, the first European Launcher Challenger to reach orbit\u201d said ESA\u2019s Director General Josef Aschbacher, \u201cSpectrum quite literally rose to the challenge and delivered its payloads in low Earth orbit. An astounding achievement by German company Isar Aerospace, founded only eight years ago, and backed by the European Space Agency. This is yet another step towards a more diverse autonomous European launch service sector, and I am excited for what is still to come!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This launch follows the rocket\u2019s first test flight, that flew for 30 seconds, clearing the launch pad and proved Spectrum can achieve one of the hardest parts of space transportation: liftoff.<\/p>\n Unlike the test flight in 2025, for this second Spectrum launch Isar Aerospace has included six commercial and educational CubeSats and an experiment that aims to prove new technologies in orbit as well as providing educational experiences for students in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The mission \u2018Onward and Upward\u2019 is supported by ESA\u2019s Boost! program.\u00a0Isar Aerospace also won the first Microlauncher Competition awarded by the German Space Agency at DLR, which resulted in the selection of the payloads on this flight.<\/p>\n Initially supported by ESA\u2019s Business Incubation Centre, Isar Aerospace has received several rounds of co-funding as part of the European Space Agency\u2019s Boost! programme\u00a0that helps commercial initiatives offering space transportation services. Under Boost! contract, ESA supported the development of the Spectrum launch service, including this second Spectrum flight .<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In 2025 Isar Aerospace was one of the launch service operators selected for the European Launcher Challenge, and their contract was signed recently. As a first important milestone, the European Launcher Challenge requires launch service providers to achieve an orbital launch no later than 2027. This flight has demonstrated the Spectrum launch system successfully, making Isar Aerospace the first provider to reach this milestone for the European Launcher Challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cAll launches are special, but what Isar Aerospace achieved today is historic: the first European company to reach orbit with their own launch vehicle\u201d said G\u00e9raldine Naja, ESA\u2019s Director of Space Transportation,\u00a0 \u201ca huge congratulation to the teams involved, who with this launch also complete the first milestone of ESA\u2019s European Launcher Challenge, looking forward to seeing many more European launches, including from And\u00f8ya Spaceport in Norway in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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