German company launches rocket as Europe enters satellite race

Germany’s Isar Aerospace has launched a rocket into orbit from Norway as Europe aims to boost its ability to independently send satellites into space.

The 28-metre-long (92 ft) Spectrum rocket blasted off into space at 10:12pm (20:12 GMT) on Saturday from the Andøya spaceport in Arctic Norway, Isar Aerospace said.

The uncrewed rocket carried five satellites that were deployed while in orbit, the German start-up said, adding that “spacecraft separation was completed successfully” after satellite deployment.

The Spectrum rocket reached an altitude of 100km (62 miles) above Earth’s surface in less than four minutes, presenters said during a live broadcast of the rocket’s takeoff.

This is the first time a privately developed rocket has reached space from Europe, the company announced in a post on X.

Isar Aerospace launched its first test flight in March 2022, but the rocket plunged into the sea and exploded 30 seconds after takeoff. The second launch was scheduled for January but postponed several times.

Europe is largely unable to launch satellites and has faced setbacks in sending rockets into orbit with its own technology after cutting ties with Russia’s Soyuz rockets. Most European satellites have been launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which operates out of the United States.

Western Europe’s first attempt to launch a satellite using billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit failed to reach orbit after an “anomaly” was reported in January 2023.

The US launched 198 rockets last year, while Europe launched just eight, according to Isar Aerospace. The German company seeks to build capacity to manufacture up to 40 launch vehicles per year.

Europe is betting on a new generation of small commercial launchers in early development to launch satellites more cheaply in the future.

The space company announced in August that it had signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), securing $230m to accelerate the development of launch vehicles and expand launch infrastructure.

“This milestone kicks off the European Launcher Challenge, encouraging competition among European launch providers,” ESA director of space transportation Géraldine Naja said in a statement published by the German start-up at the time.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Isar Aerospace’s launch site with Norway’s prime minister in March and reiterated Europe’s concerns about its dependence on the US, including in space launch capabilities.