The “Onward and Upward” mission lifted off from Isar Aerospace’s launch complex at Andøya Space in Norway at 10:12 p.m. CEST. The company is working with customers to confirm the status of the deployed satellites.
“Europe now has sovereign access to space,” Chief Executive and co-founder Daniel Metzler said. “We have entered into a new chapter for European spaceflight.”
During the qualification flight, Spectrum passed MaxQ before completing MECO and stage separation. Its second stage then ignited as planned.
The rocket crossed the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 kilometers and jettisoned its payload fairing. It later reached orbital velocity, completed a circularization burn and separated the spacecraft.
The mission carried payloads selected through the German Space Agency at DLR’s Microlauncher Competition. The program is funded through ESA Boost! and provides lower-cost launch access for educational institutions and startups.
The orbital flight gives Isar Aerospace a proven launch capability as it expands its network beyond Norway. The company is building another launch complex in Nova Scotia, Canada, for mid- and high-inclination missions serving Earth observation and communications customers.
Isar Aerospace is also nearing completion of a 40,000-square-meter integrated rocket production facility. The plant is designed to manufacture as many as 40 launch vehicles a year.
Spectrum rockets three through seven are already in production. “We will now focus on rapidly scaling launch vehicle production, deliver on our order pipeline, and meet surging global demand,” Metzler said.
