The German space company Isar Aerospace and the Planet Labs company officially signed an agreement to launch an Earth remote sensing satellite into orbit.
Basic details of the mission
Spacecraft: The Pelican satellite will be launched, designed for high-precision image processing and receiving satellite images.
Production: The device is assembled at the German production plant Planet in Berlin.
Rocket: The two-stage commercial Spectrum rocket will be used for the mission, developed by Isar Aerospace.
Deadlines: The windows for the start are planned not before the end 2026 year. The parties intend to carry out the mission within 12 months from the moment of signing the contract.
Location: The launch will take place from the company's private launch complex at the Norwegian Andoyia Cosmodrome (Andøya) in the arctic
Currently, the Spectrum missile is still undergoing flight and technical testing. After the first test flight in March 2025 year, the company faced a series of delays. Next launch attempts in the summer 2026 year had to be postponed a few minutes before the start due to detected anomalies in the vehicle's fuel and liquid systems. Despite this, the European sector has high hopes for Isar Aerospace to ensure Europe's independent access to space.
Source: https://spacenews.com