5 September 2026 In 2015, the German company Isar Aerospace successfully launched the Spectrum rocket into low Earth orbit from the second launch. This is the first case, when a European firm reached orbit with its own carrier, and the first phase of ESA's European Launch Vehicle Challenge.
The launch took place from the Andoya Cosmodrome (Norway). Rocket height 28 m and diameter 2 m has ten engines and is designed to output up to 1000 Kg. The first flight 2025 year lasted 30 seconds
and ended in an accident. The Onward and Upward mission carried six commercial and educational payloads, specifically CubeSat.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher called the launch historic. The company was supported by the ESA Boost program! and the DLR competition. Isar Aerospace was the first to fulfill the initial condition of the European Launcher Challenge (orbital launch to 2027 year). ESA Director of Space Transportation Geraldine Naha noted the importance of the event for Europe's autonomy. Success is taking place against the background of the development of microcarriers: in particular, ESA signed a contract with the Spanish PLD Space for 158,9 million euros for the MIURA missile 5.
Source: https://www.euronews.com