On September 6, 2026, Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket made history by performing the first successful commercial orbital launch from continental Europe, writes Chris Young. Spectrum soared into the sky from Isar’s dedicated launch complex at Andøya Space in Norway.

Founded in 2018 by three students from the Technische Universität München (Germany), Isar developed and iterated upon Spectrum for roughly eight years in the lead-up to mission success.

The two-stage orbital rocket is designed for small and medium satellites and constellations. As a point of reference, Spectrum sits within the small-lift category and is roughly three times larger than Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle.

The rocket, primarily composed of carbon-fibre composites, has a diameter of 2 m (roughly 6.6 ft) and a height of 28 m (92 ft) when stood vertically on the launchpad. It is capable of carrying 1000 kg to LEO and up to 700 kg to SSO.

Spectrum’s first stage features nine Aquila engines, producing roughly 675 kN of thrust at liftoff. The second stage is powered by one multi-ignition-capable, vacuum-optimised Aquila engine, providing roughly 95 kN of force.

The Aquila engine, built in-house by Isar, uses liquid oxygen and propane. According to the company, this offers the “highest density-specific impulse of all carbon-based fuels,” allowing for “high-performing, clean propulsion that minimises the environmental impact.”

Although Spectrum in its current design is an expendable rocket, Isar is working on future upgrades that may allow a reusable version of the rocket to fly. This includes planned reusability testing at facilities like Spaceport Esrange in Sweden.

Several European launch companies are looking to follow Isar’s lead. In 2021, Spanish private space company PLD Space also launched a rocket from European soil, although its Miura 1 was a suborbital launch vehicle.

Isar Aerospace’s first launch attempt in 2025 ended in an explosive failure less than a minute after launch. Undeterred, the team successfully deployed five CubeSats and a technology experiment on September 6, 2026. After the successful launch, the company stated that the next five Spectrum rockets are already in production.