Isar Aerospace will make a second attempt to launch its Spectrum two-stage liquid-fuelled rocket this weekend following a scrubbed launch earlier this week due to unfavorable weather conditions. Although this is Isar’s second attempt to launch Spectrum, it will still be the first time it has tested a full version of the rocket. It will also be the first-ever orbital launch from the Andøya Space Center in Norway and Continental Europe, as per NasaSpaceFlight.
German rocketry startup Isar Aerospace made its first launch attempt of the Spectrum rocket on March 24 after being given the go-ahead the week before. While that had to be scrapped, it’s now hoped that the stars will align during the short three-hour window this Saturday to allow for the first launch to take place unimpeded. Although the first full launch attempts of new rocket designs rarely go completely smoothly, Isar already has a strong customer base ready to make use of it once it’s ready. A successful launch could springboard the company to commercial ventures in short order.
The new launch window opens on Saturday, March 29, at 11:30 a.m. UTC (07:30 a.m. EST) and will last until 14:30a.m. UTC (10:30 a.m. EST). If Spectrum does manage to take off during that time, it will fly out over the Norwegian Sea, employing both stages to launch its test payload into a retrograde orbit. Andøya is one of the most northerly rocket launch sites in the world and allows Spectrum to target a particular orbital inclination range that wouldn’t be possible from other locations.
You can watch the launch on the live stream below:
However, while Isar Aerospace does have exclusive access to one orbital launch pad at Andøya, it is already looking to take up residence at other launch facilities around the world. Spectrum could also be launched from a former French Diamant rocket launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, in partnership with the French space agency CNES. Korou launches would allow Spectrum to send its small to medium satellite payloads into a more traditional equatorial orbit.
That would increase Isar’s yearly launch capacity. It currently plans to build as many as 40 launch vehicles per year, making it a potential contender for many European launch contracts in the coming years. It has already secured bookings from the Norwegian Space Agency for its Arctic Ocean Surveillance program, as well as a Japanese startup, ElevationSpace, and Airbus, among other companies.
Isar is seen as one of the potential alternatives for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has become politically embroiled due to the CEO’s involvement with the new Trump administration and his political interference in German and UK elections. There’s now a major drive within the EU to develop reliable launch vehicles that are entirely distinct from SpaceX and US oversight, both to capture a portion of the burgeoning satellite launch businesses, but also for security reasons.