German launch startup Isar Aerospace achieved the first successful commercial launch from Europe over the weekend, launching payloads on the second flight of its Spectrum rocket.
The mission “Onward and Upward” launched from Andøya Space in Norway at 10:12 pm CEST on Saturday, Sept. 5. Isar Aerospace confirmed that Spectrum transited MaxQ, completed main engine cutoff (MECO) and stage separation, and ignited the second stage. During the flight the launcher crossed the Kármán line at 100 kilometers altitude, then jettisoned the payload fairing and completed spacecraft separation.
Spectrum deployed five cubesats and one experiment, which were all organized through the German Space Agency at DLR Microlauncher Competition. Isar Aerospace said it is working with the customers to confirm the satellite status.
“Onward and Upward” served as the qualification flight for the Spectrum vehicle. Isar previously launched Spectrum in March of 2025 but did not reach orbit or deploy payloads; that mission was aborted 30 seconds into the flight.
Isar co-founder and CEO Daniel Metzler pointed to the strategic importance of the mission for European sovereignty.
“Today, Isar Aerospace opened space from Continental Europe. Launch continues to be the largest bottleneck for the global space industry and from today on, there is a true alternative for commercial and institutional customers,” Metzler said. “Europe now has sovereign access to space. We have entered into a new chapter for European spaceflight.”
The company has already begun production on launch vehicles three through seven and is opening a 40,000 square meter production facility.
Isar Aerospace has signed a number of launch contracts recently including with Planet, Astroscale, and about $230 million in European Space Agency (ESA) funding to develop its next generation of launch vehicles, expand test and launch infrastructure, and support future missions.
