German startup launches first commercial rocket into orbit from Europe

German startup Isar Aerospace has completed the first commercial orbital rocket launch originating from continental Europe, sending its uncrewed Spectrum rocket into space from the Andøya Spaceport in Arctic Norway. The company says it now plans to rapidly scale up satellite deployment services following the achievement.

Isar co-founder and CEO Daniel Metzler told reporters that limited launch capacity is currently the industry's biggest constraint. The mission carried five small satellites into orbit along with an experimental in-flight technology test.

Second attempt succeeds

This was Isar's second launch attempt from the site — the first, 18 months earlier, ended when the rocket crashed into the sea and exploded shortly after liftoff. The company says five more rockets are already in production, with a long-term goal of around 40 launches per year. Isar is also developing a second launch site in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Political significance

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the launch as the beginning of a new era, while EU defence and space commissioner Andrius Kubilius wrote on social media that Europe's independent access to space had received a major boost. Merz visited Isar's launch site in March, reflecting Europe's push for greater autonomy as the US-led global order shifts under President Donald Trump's administration.

Other major players in the satellite launch market include Elon Musk's SpaceX, which launches from the United States, and France's ArianeGroup, which operates from a spaceport in French Guiana, South America.