German rocket reaches space

OSLO: The uncrewed Spectrum rocket was the first commercial flight to reach orbit from continental Europe, where several nations have said they want a share of a growing market for space missions.

"We're in orbit! And just made European history," Isar said in a post on the social media platform X.

The event was a breakthrough for the European launch industry, giving the continent better access to space, Norway's Industry and Commerce Minister Cecilie Myrseth said in a statement.

"The fact that we can now launch satellites from Andoeya strengthens Norwegian and European security in the turbulent times we live in."

Blasting off from Norway's Arctic Andoeya Spaceport, Spectrum — designed for small and medium-sized payloads — carried five small satellites, as well as an in-flight technological experiment, according to Isar.

It was Isar's second launch, coming 18 months after the company's first rocket plunged into the sea and exploded in a fiery spectacle shortly after takeoff from the same site. No one was injured at the time.

Saturday's launch was intended as "both the vehicle's qualification mission and its first flight carrying payload", the Bavarian company has said.

Global players in the satellite launch market include Elon Musk's SpaceX, which launches from the US, and French ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran that uses a spaceport in South America's French Guiana.

Sweden, with its Esrange launch site and Britain, with its SaxaVord Spaceport in the Scottish Shetland Islands, are the nearest rivals to the Norwegian site.

Isar last week said it had secured about 200 million euros from the European Space Agency to help fund development of new rockets and expand its testing and launch infrastructure.

The German company is also developing a second launch site in Canada.