European SpaceX rival launches rocket into orbit
German start-up Isar Aerospace succeeds in first ever commercial blast-off from Europe
A German start-up has become the first ever commercial entity to launch a rocket into orbit from Europe, marking a leap forward for the continent’s efforts to catch up with the US space market.
Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum launch vehicle successfully carried five small satellites into orbit after blasting off from a launch pad in Norway’s Andøya Space Center.
It was only the second launch attempt by the Munich-based Isar, which was founded in 2018. The first, 18 months ago, lasted just 30 seconds before crashing back to earth. The second launch had been delayed many times by multiple setbacks including poor weather, technical problems and a stray boat near the launch site.
Isar’s chief executive Daniel Metzler said the successful blast-off on Saturday night had made “history”, a breakthrough that would “shape Europe’s strategic, economic and technological future”.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Metzler said Isar would be pressing on to tackle the huge backlog in global space launch capacity.
“There’s hardware all over the world that is literally stuck on Earth right now,” he said. “Satellite companies, governments, everybody is on the waiting list of just a few entities. I think that will change now. We’ve got a massive pipeline of tens of billions of euros to deliver on.”
Founded in 2018, Isar is regarded as one of Europe’s most promising start-ups as the continent seeks to foster a rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has shaken up the global satellite launch market and sharply lowered prices.
The company achieved a valuation of about €2bn in its last funding round in June, which raised €270mn.
It forms part of a broader European drive to reduce reliance on the US. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing distrust towards Washington have prompted European leaders to urgently pursue their own space capabilities, including satellite constellations for reconnaissance and communications purposes.
However, Europe remains far behind the US in terms of its ability to launch satellites into space. European entities made just seven successful launches into orbit in 2025, all of them from French Guiana in South America rather than the continental mainland. That compares with about 180 from the US, the vast majority by SpaceX, and about 90 from China.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s launch, Metzler had told the FT that the goal was simply to “make as much progress as we can” compared with the first attempt.
It had taken Musk’s SpaceX four attempts to reach orbit successfully, he added.
Metzler said there had been a dramatic shift in demand over the past 12 months, with requests from defence-related customers up from about 15 per cent of the total to about 60 per cent.
“With [Donald] Trump’s second term, Europe has been learning the hard way that we need to have our own sovereign capabilities,” he said.
Even before the company had successfully launched a satellite into orbit, its future capacity was fully booked until the end of 2028. Isar’s new Munich-based factory aims to eventually produce 40 rockets a year.
Europe’s rocket launch industry has in the past been dominated by Arianespace, jointly owned by Airbus and Safran, which has struggled for relevance in the SpaceX era.
In 2024 Arianespace launched from French Guiana Europe’s first new heavy-lift rocket in almost three decades, the Ariane 6, which has subsequently completed several successful satellite missions.
The continent has also witnessed the emergence of a clutch of “new space” start-ups seeking to revolutionise the industry with smaller launch vehicles. They include Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg, Spain’s PLD Space and France’s Maiaspace.
Isar’s two-stage Spectrum rocket, which is 28 metres tall, is designed for small to medium satellite launches, with a payload capacity of up to 1,000kg.
The company said it would seek to develop a “slightly larger” vehicle over time to allow it to carry heavier payloads while also driving down costs.