{"id":659764,"date":"2025-03-31T22:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T19:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/orbital-rocket-launches-from-western-europe-for-first-time\/"},"modified":"2025-03-31T22:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T19:00:29","slug":"orbital-rocket-launches-from-western-europe-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/orbital-rocket-launches-from-western-europe-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Orbital rocket launches from Western Europe for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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German startup Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from And\u00f8ya Spaceport in Norway today, marking the first-ever vertical orbital rocket launch in Western Europe.<\/p>\n

Spectrum blasted off at 12:30 PM CEST (11:30 BST) but lost control at about 25 seconds into the flight. A video from the launch shows the rocket wobble, pitch over, and then plummet back to the ground, where it collided with the ocean, causing a large explosion. The launchpad remains intact and no one was injured, Isar said.<\/p>\n

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Drone and pad footage from Isar Aerospace\u2019s Spectrum launch. You can see it avoided the pad when it came down. pic.twitter.com\/NePozHqYad<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NSF \u2013 NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) March 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Despite a quick and abrupt end to Spectrum\u2019s inaugural flight, Isar\u2019s CEO and co-founder Daniel Metzler hailed the launch as a \u201cgreat success.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight,\u00a0and even got to validate our flight termination system,\u201d Metzler said. \u201cWith this result, we feel confident to app<\/a>roach our second flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spectrum\u2019s first flight carried no payload. Isar Aerospace said the aim of the launch was \u201cto collect as much data and experience as possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The 28-meter\u00a0(91-foot) Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle designed to propel small and medium-sized satellites into orbit.<\/p>\n

The company expects to produce as many as 40 rockets per year from its new factory, which is currently under construction outside its headquarters in Munich. Spectrum launch vehicles 2 and 3 are already in production, Isar said.<\/p>\n

Spectru<\/span>m\u2019s inaugural flight marks the first-ever ver<\/span>tical orbital rocket launch i<\/span>n continental E<\/span>urope outside Russia.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

V<\/span>irgin Orbit a<\/span>ttempt<\/span>ed an orbital la<\/span>unch from the UK<\/span> in 20<\/span>23, but<\/span>\u00a0the plan failed. E<\/span>urope\u2019s other rockets, Aria<\/span>ne <\/span>6 and Vega C, launch from Europe\u2019s main<\/span> spaceport in F<\/span>rench Guiana, South America<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Isar Aerospace<\/span> is the <\/span>first private<\/span> space company to use And\u00f8ya Spaceport, which officially <\/span>opened<\/span>\u00a0in 2023. The spaceport, loc<\/span>ated close to the Arctic Circle<\/span>, offers easy access<\/span> to polar and su<\/span>n-synchronous orbits<\/span> \u2014 ideal for Earth observation<\/span>\u00a0and spy satellites.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isar Aerospace signed a deal in February with <\/span>the Norwegian Sp<\/span>ace Agency <\/span>to launch its<\/span> Arctic Ocean Surve<\/span>illance <\/span>(AOS) program satellites until 2028. <\/span>The com<\/span>pany looks to la<\/span>unch up to 15 missions per year from<\/span> And\u00f8ya, at a cost of aro<\/span>und \u20ac10mn per flight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening up orbital launches from Western Europe promises to simplify logistics for European satellite operators by eliminating the need to ship payloads overseas. Access to smaller, cheaper launch vehicles that can place a single satellite in orbit could also offer a more flexible, fast, and precise alternative to ride-sharing.<\/p>\n

Then there are the geopolitical considerations. Launching from continental Europe would reduce reliance on foreign launch providers like SpaceX, enhancing sovereign access to space amid growing geopolitical tensions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metzler touched on <\/span>that point in a statement last week: \u201cIn today\u2019s geopolitical climate, our first test flight is about much more than a rocket launch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Founded<\/span> in 2018 as a spin-off<\/span> f<\/span>rom Technical University Munich, Isar Aerospace has secured \u20ac400mn to date, making it Europ<\/span>e\u2019s most<\/span> well-f<\/span>unded private<\/span> space company.<\/span><\/p>\n

While And\u00f8ya is Europe\u2019s first continental spaceport, others are underway, the most advanced being the <\/span>SaxaVord spaceport <\/span>in the Shetlan<\/span>d Islands off Scotland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rocket Factory Augsburg, a rival to Isar,<\/span> was meant to launch from the site last year.<\/span> However, the startup suffered a major setback after its <\/span>rocket exploded<\/span> during<\/span> <\/span>a static-fire test<\/span>, pushing back <\/span>its inaugu<\/span>ral flight to later this year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n