Isar Aerospace, based near Munich, Germany, is scheduled to make the first ever launch attempt of its Spectrum two-stage rocket no earlier than Monday, March 24, at 11:30 UTC from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andoya Space Center in Norway. Isar is targeting the beginning of a three hour window that ends at 14:30 UTC. The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority granted a Permit for Launch on Friday, March 14, and the launch period began on Thursday, March 20.
The mission, named “Going Full Spectrum,” is the first orbital launch attempt from Norway and from continental Europe, excluding the British Isles and Russia. One other orbital attempt was made from Cornwall in England involving Virgin Orbit’s Launcher One. That rocket failed after launch in January 2023, and Virgin Orbit ceased operations afterward.
Graphic showing the flight events of the Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum test launch. (Credit: Isar Aerospace)
The Spectrum rocket will be flying on a northwest trajectory over the Norwegian Sea, which would take any payload into a retrograde orbit, although no customer payloads are on board this flight. Andoya, at 69 degrees North latitude and above the Arctic Circle, is one of the most northerly rocket launch sites in the world and can support orbital inclinations between 90 and 110.6 degrees. Andoya is planned to support up to 30 orbital launches per year.
Isar Aerospace, founded in 2018, developed Spectrum to serve the small to medium-sized satellite market and is marketing the launcher as a solution for orbiting constellations. The company is also emphasizing its role in helping to maintain Europe’s space sovereignty and resilience through launching from continental European sites like Andoya.
Artist’s impression of the Isar Aerospace Spectrum launching from Andoya. (Credit: Isar Aerospace)
Spectrum, which took six years of development to reach its first flight, is a rocket built largely out of carbon composites while also featuring 3D-printed high performance metal parts for the engines. Isar Aerospace hopes this cutting-edge technology and automation will be used to lower costs while enabling higher launch cadence, though the vehicle is not reusable.
The Spectrum rocket, with both stages and fairing installed, measures 28 m in height and two meters in diameter, and is designed to launch up to 1,000 kg to low-Earth orbit or 700 kg to a Sun-synchronous orbit. This capability puts Spectrum on the higher-end of small satellite launchers, comparable to Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha, while being much larger and more capable than Rocket Lab’s Electron.
Artist’s impression of the Spectrum’s second stage launching a payload into orbit. (Credit: Isar Aerospace)
Isar Aerospace developed the Spectrum vehicle almost completely in-house with a vertically integrated approach in mind. In a manner similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Rocket Lab’s Electron, Spectrum uses nine Aquila engines on the first stage and a single Aquila engine with a larger nozzle optimized for vacuum operation on the second stage.
The Aquila engine, developed in-house by Isar Aerospace, uses propane and liquid oxygen as propellants. The propane was selected for offering the highest density-specific impulse of all carbon-based propellants. The company also states that propane is cleaner and more environmentally friendly than other fuel options.
Spectrum’s second stage is designed to support multiple engine restarts in orbit. This capability allows precise orbital targeting, and the company offers dedicated launches for payloads as well as rideshare flights. Spectrum was also designed with non-pyrotechnic devices for stage and fairing separation, which is meant to give payloads a smoother ride to orbit without jolts caused by using pyrotechnics.
Spectrum first stage completes a static fire test ahead of maiden flight. (Credit: Isar Aerospace)
The launch will be a test flight and will be the first time all of the vehicle’s integrated systems are tested as a unit. Although some rockets have successfully reached orbit on their first launch, many others have faced issues that caused early termination of flight. Regardless of the result, the company expects to obtain a great deal of valuable in-flight data that will help further iteration of the Spectrum.
The Spectrum rocket has already conducted successful test firings of its first and second stages. The first stage’s firing, involving all nine engines, occurred on Feb. 14. The second stage was test fired in the third quarter of 2024. The nine engines in the first stage together generate 675 kN of thrust.
Isar Aerospace, named after a river that flows through Munich, has received a launch order from the Norwegian Space Agency for its Arctic Ocean Surveillance program. Two satellites are booked for a launch no earlier than 2028. A Japanese startup company, ElevationSpace, has contracted to launch its 200 kg AOBA spacecraft in 2026, and Spectrum also has launch contracts from Airbus and other companies.
Work being done on a Spectrum at the Isar Aerospace factory in Germany. (Credit: Isar Aerospace)
Spectrum’s manifest is booked until mid-2027 as per Isar Aerospace chief commercial officer Stella Guillen. The company has also been selected to use a former Diamant launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, by the French space agency CNES. The Kourou site will allow Spectrum to reach many more orbits than Andoya, including equatorial orbits.
Although Isar Aerospace’s orbital rocket is set to launch first, other European commercial startups are also working on launchers of their own, with spaceports in Scotland and Sweden also scheduled to host orbital launches in the not too distant future. The European commercial launch industry, after struggles and setbacks, is starting to field orbital rockets, with Spectrum likely being the first to fly.
(Lead image: Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum launch vehicle on the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andoya Space Center in Norway before its first flight. Credit: Isar Aerospace)