Norway hosts Europe’s first orbital vehicle launch attempt

A German start-up, Isar Aerospace, is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andoya Spaceport. This event, scheduled for Monday, marks the first flight of an orbital launch vehicle from mainland Europe, excluding Russia. The launch is important for Europe's goal of becoming more independent in space, especially given recent challenges and competition from US companies. The Spectrum rocket is 28 meters tall and can carry a payload of one tonne. However, this test flight will carry no cargo and is not expected to reach orbit. Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace, stated that any time the rocket flies is valuable for collecting data and experience, noting that even 30 seconds of flight would be considered a success. He emphasized that reaching orbit on this launch is not expected. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe has lost access to Russian space stations and launchers. The region has also faced delays in developing its Ariane 6 rocket, which recently launched successfully after several months without independent access to space. Smaller launch vehicles like the Spectrum are becoming popular for launching smaller satellites. These are often used for Earth observation and internet coverage. The rise of new European companies in this field is aimed at ensuring independent access to space, according to Toni Tolker-Nielsen from the European Space Agency. Europe is trying to keep up with US companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. Besides Isar Aerospace, other European players include HyImpulse, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and various groups from France and Spain. In addition, several spaceport projects are underway across Europe, from Portugal to the UK. Isar Aerospace's launch on Monday will represent the first vertical launch of an orbital vehicle in continental Europe. It is noteworthy as the first launch coming from a fully private European company. Founded in 2018, Isar Aerospace has developed its two-stage launcher mostly in-house and aims to launch two maritime surveillance satellites into orbit by 2028 under a contract with the Norwegian space agency. The Andoya Spaceport is strategically located for launching satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits.