First Orbital Rocket Launch from Continental Europe Set for March 24
German startup Isar Aerospace to test its Spectrum rocket from Norway's Andøya Space Center.
A German startup, Isar Aerospace, is scheduled to conduct a test flight of its Spectrum rocket on March 24 from the Andøya Space Center in Norway, located above the Arctic Circle.
The launch window is set between 12:30 and 15:30 local time (11:30 to 14:30 GMT), contingent on favorable weather conditions.
This event is poised to represent the first vertical launch of an orbital vehicle on continental Europe, outside of Russia.
The Spectrum rocket stands 28 meters tall and has a diameter of 2 meters, with a payload capacity of one tonne.
However, it will not carry any cargo during this test flight and is not expected to reach orbital altitude.
Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace, noted that each second of flight is crucial for data collection and experience gain, emphasizing that even thirty seconds of flight would be considered a significant success.
Metzler pointed out that achieving orbit is not the aim of this test, referencing the challenges faced by other companies, including SpaceX, which required multiple attempts to successfully place their first orbital launch vehicle into orbit.
He expressed a desire to expedite the development process.
The report commissioned by Mario Draghi on the competitiveness of the European Union highlighted the importance of space access.
Europe has faced a setback in independent access to space due to the severing of ties with Russian launch sites and platforms amidst rising tensions with Moscow.
Delays in the development of the Ariane 6 rocket and the suspension of the Vega-C launcher following an accident have further complicated European space efforts.
The first commercial flight of the Ariane 6 from Kourou, French Guiana, on March 6 marked a return to independent space access after several months of inactivity.
Micro and mini-launchers like the Spectrum, typically developed by private entities, provide a cost-effective solution for deploying constellations of miniaturized satellites used for applications such as Earth observation and internet coverage.
Toni Tolker-Nielsen, director of space transportation at the European Space Agency (ESA), noted that the emergence of new players and launch services in Europe aims to ensure independent and sovereign access to space, with an expectation of growing prominence in the coming years.
In a competitive landscape, European startups such as Isar Aerospace, HyImpulse, and Rocket Factory Augsburg, alongside French firms Latitude and MaiaSpace (a subsidiary of Arianegroup), and Spanish company PLD Space are racing to establish themselves as key market players, seeking to catch up with American companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Various European spaceports, from the Azores to the Shetland Islands, Andøya, and Esrange in Sweden, are developing their projects, each aiming for early operational capacity.
In the UK, Virgin Orbit, owned by Richard Branson, has ceased operations following the failure of its inaugural launch from Spaceport Cornwall in early 2023.
The upcoming flight by Isar Aerospace marks a significant milestone as the first vertical launch of an orbital vehicle in continental Europe, an area that has previously only seen suborbital launches.
Tolker-Nielsen acknowledged the importance of this launch as a step forward, highlighting it as the first launch of a European launcher under entirely private responsibility.
Founded in 2018, the Munich-based startup claims to have developed its two-stage launcher almost entirely in-house, having also secured a contract with the Norwegian Space Agency for the launch of two maritime surveillance satellites by 2028.
The Andøya Space Center, promoting itself as the first operational spaceport in continental Europe, emphasizes its Arctic location as advantageous for launching polar or sun-synchronous satellites, which orbit above any given point on Earth at the same local solar time each day.
The launch window is set between 12:30 and 15:30 local time (11:30 to 14:30 GMT), contingent on favorable weather conditions.
This event is poised to represent the first vertical launch of an orbital vehicle on continental Europe, outside of Russia.
The Spectrum rocket stands 28 meters tall and has a diameter of 2 meters, with a payload capacity of one tonne.
However, it will not carry any cargo during this test flight and is not expected to reach orbital altitude.
Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace, noted that each second of flight is crucial for data collection and experience gain, emphasizing that even thirty seconds of flight would be considered a significant success.
Metzler pointed out that achieving orbit is not the aim of this test, referencing the challenges faced by other companies, including SpaceX, which required multiple attempts to successfully place their first orbital launch vehicle into orbit.
He expressed a desire to expedite the development process.
The report commissioned by Mario Draghi on the competitiveness of the European Union highlighted the importance of space access.
Europe has faced a setback in independent access to space due to the severing of ties with Russian launch sites and platforms amidst rising tensions with Moscow.
Delays in the development of the Ariane 6 rocket and the suspension of the Vega-C launcher following an accident have further complicated European space efforts.
The first commercial flight of the Ariane 6 from Kourou, French Guiana, on March 6 marked a return to independent space access after several months of inactivity.
Micro and mini-launchers like the Spectrum, typically developed by private entities, provide a cost-effective solution for deploying constellations of miniaturized satellites used for applications such as Earth observation and internet coverage.
Toni Tolker-Nielsen, director of space transportation at the European Space Agency (ESA), noted that the emergence of new players and launch services in Europe aims to ensure independent and sovereign access to space, with an expectation of growing prominence in the coming years.
In a competitive landscape, European startups such as Isar Aerospace, HyImpulse, and Rocket Factory Augsburg, alongside French firms Latitude and MaiaSpace (a subsidiary of Arianegroup), and Spanish company PLD Space are racing to establish themselves as key market players, seeking to catch up with American companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Various European spaceports, from the Azores to the Shetland Islands, Andøya, and Esrange in Sweden, are developing their projects, each aiming for early operational capacity.
In the UK, Virgin Orbit, owned by Richard Branson, has ceased operations following the failure of its inaugural launch from Spaceport Cornwall in early 2023.
The upcoming flight by Isar Aerospace marks a significant milestone as the first vertical launch of an orbital vehicle in continental Europe, an area that has previously only seen suborbital launches.
Tolker-Nielsen acknowledged the importance of this launch as a step forward, highlighting it as the first launch of a European launcher under entirely private responsibility.
Founded in 2018, the Munich-based startup claims to have developed its two-stage launcher almost entirely in-house, having also secured a contract with the Norwegian Space Agency for the launch of two maritime surveillance satellites by 2028.
The Andøya Space Center, promoting itself as the first operational spaceport in continental Europe, emphasizes its Arctic location as advantageous for launching polar or sun-synchronous satellites, which orbit above any given point on Earth at the same local solar time each day.
