Agency Report –
Munich – German space start-up Isar Aerospace is set to launch a historic test flight in northern Norway on Monday.
According to Joseph Aschbacher, the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), the test marks “the first commercial orbital launch from mainland Europe.”
The company’s Spectrum launch vehicle is due to take off from the Andøya spaceport between 12:30 pm (1130 GMT) and 3:30 pm, although the test could still be pushed back due to adverse weather conditions or safety concerns.
The rocket is not expected to reach orbit, with a company spokeswoman warning that no company has ever managed to achieve space flight with a first test.
“The rocket may explode – that is even likely during the test flight,” she said. “Thirty seconds would be a great success.”
Isar Aerospace, founded in 2018, is seeking to develop a viable launch vehicle to carry satellites to orbit.
It is a European rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
Europe is currently lagging the United States, China and India in space travel, amid delays in the development of the ESA’s Ariane 6 launcher.
The Spectrum launch vehicle is 28 metres long, with a diameter of 2 metres.
Depending on the desired orbit, it can carry a payload of between 700 and 1,000 kilograms to space.
If the test is a success, Isar could ramp up production, with two rockets already in production.
“How quickly they will be on the launchpad also depends on the results of the first test flight – and whether only software or hardware adjustments need to be made,” said the spokeswoman. “In any case, our goal is to be back on the launchpad as quickly as possible.”
The Munich-based company envisions building up to 40 launch vehicles per year.
The start-up has so far raised more than €400 million ($433 million) in capital.
The NATO Innovation Fund, a venture capital fund supported by 24 NATO member states, was among the participants in Isar’s latest financing round.
By Christof Rührmair
