Isar Aerospace Launches First Commercial Rocket into Orbit from Continental Europe

German startup Isar Aerospace successfully launched its uncrewed Spectrum rocket into orbit from Arctic Norway on Saturday, marking the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe.

The two-stage Spectrum rocket, 28 meters tall, lifted off from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway at 4:12 p.m. EST and entered orbit seven minutes later. This achievement is a milestone for Europe’s efforts to secure independent access to space. The mission, named "Onward and Upward," carried five small satellites along with an in-flight technology experiment, including commercial and educational payloads.

Isar Aerospace, founded in 2018, plans a rapid expansion of satellite deployments, with five more rockets already in production. The company aims for approximately 40 launches per year and is developing a second launch site in Nova Scotia, Canada, projected to be ready by 2028. This was Isar’s second launch attempt; its first rocket plunged into the sea and exploded shortly after takeoff from the same site in March 2025.

Daniel Metzler, Isar co-founder and CEO, stated that launch capability remains the biggest bottleneck in the industry and that Europe now has sovereign access to space. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed the launch as the beginning of a new era, emphasizing Europe's push for greater autonomy. EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius noted a major boost for Europe’s independent access to space. The European Space Agency's Director General, Josef Aschbacher, called the launch historic.