German Isar Aerospace attempts second orbital launch from Norway after March failure
On September 5, the Spectrum rocket will make a second bid to become the first rocket to reach orbit from European soil, after failing on its debut flight in March 2025.
What happened
Isar Aerospace plans to launch its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Space Center in northern Norway on September 5, 2025, during a launch window opening at 4 p.m. EDT. This is the company's second attempt after its March 2025 debut flight failed less than a minute after liftoff due to an unintended vent valve opening and loss of attitude control. The 95-foot-tall, two-stage rocket was originally scheduled to launch in January but faced multiple delays due to pressurization valve issues, bad weather, an intruding boat, a composite pressure vessel leak, and off-nominal fluid system behavior. For today's flight, Spectrum will carry five cubesats and one scientific experiment as payload—viable payloads that were absent on the failed first flight.
Context
No rocket has ever launched to orbit from European soil, making this mission historically significant for the continent's spaceflight capability. Spectrum can deliver approximately 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit and is intended to become a workhorse launcher for small to medium-size satellites. Isar claims its Munich manufacturing facility can produce over 30 rockets annually. Success would benefit the European spaceflight community by diversifying launch services and building resilience in the market, according to the European Space Agency's director of space transportation, who noted that even failure on this second attempt would advance Isar's capabilities and provide valuable operational experience.