Europe has gained sovereign access to space thanks to the launch of the Spectrum rocket

Europe has gained sovereign access to space thanks to the launch of the Spectrum rocket

German aerospace startup Isar Aerospace has launched the Spectrum launch vehicle, which successfully delivered 5 satellites into low Earth orbit.

The launch of the carrier rocket took place from the Andøya Spaceport in Norway on September 5 at 20:12 UTC. The live broadcast of the mission was concluded 18 minutes after liftoff due to a planned loss of signal from the onboard cameras.

Before the broadcast ended, the rocket managed to pass all major flight phases, including stage separation, second-stage engine ignition, payload fairing jettison, and second-stage engine shutdown after reaching trajectory.

Isar Aerospace emphasized that the startup has become the first commercial space company from Europe to successfully deliver satellites into orbit on its second attempt.

The company's CEO and co-founder, Daniel Metzler, stated that in just a few years, the team achieved results that previously took the European space industry decades to accomplish, and now Europe has gained sovereign access to space.