The German company Isar Aerospace has successfully launched Europe’s first fully commercial orbital rocket. The company’s first attempt last March lasted only 30 seconds, and the vehicle fell into the sea and exploded. This time, the two-stage Spectrum reached low Earth orbit from a spaceport in Norway. CEO and co-founder Daniel Metzler said there is now a real alternative for commercial and institutional customers, and that Europe has gained sovereign access to space. Until now, Europe had been largely dependent on Arianespace and Avio, which were financed mainly by governments. The success is significant because the US is seen as less reliable by some European countries and access to Soyuz rockets was cut off after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The European Space Agency has also made the “buy European” approach one of the fundamental elements of its policies.
Background
Europe is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: over the past 90 days, we have published 2 reports mentioning the name; the latest is dated August 26, 2026.