Germany’s Isar Aerospace conducts first test flight of its rocket; calls it ‘great success’ despite crashing seconds after takeoff 

On Sunday, Munich-based Isar Aerospace, a spin-off of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), conducted the first test flight of its Spectrum launch vehicle from Andøya Spaceport in Norway,

After the ignition of its first stage, Spectrum successfully lifted off at 12:30 PM CEST for its first test flight, lasting approximately 30 seconds.

After the flight was terminated at T+30 seconds, the launch vehicle fell into the sea in a controlled manner.

The launch pad remained intact, claims the company.

“Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving great success. We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight, and even got to validate our Flight Termination System. We demonstrated that we can design and build and launch rockets,” says Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-founder of Isar Aerospace.

The German company will review the data from its first test flight to find out what went wrong and make improvements to its Spectrum launch vehicle for future missions.

“We have all the resources to create globally competitive technology leaders. With our services, we will be able to serve customers from around the world to bring their satellites into space and to help Europe solve a major blind spot in its security architecture: access to space,” adds Metzler.

Working on second and third flights

The company is currently working on the production of launch vehicles for the second and third flights of its Spectrum series.

The company designs, builds, and tests most parts of the Spectrum launch vehicle in-house, which helps them stay flexible and cost-effective.

At their new headquarters near Munich, they can produce up to 40 Spectrum vehicles each year. By quickly using lessons learned from each flight, Isar Aerospace aims to deliver launch services to customers quickly and maintain a steady launch schedule.

Bulent Altan, Isar Aerospace Chairman and former SpaceX executive, congratulated the Isar Aerospace team, says, “The Isar Aerospace team did a fantastic job. This test flight met our expectations for a first launch with a completely clean slate design in every way. As I have experienced before, it normally can take a few attempts to reach orbit, yet after today’s test flight, I am very confident that Isar Aerospace will be one of the fastest to do so. This test flight is a major success for Isar Aerospace, and the space industry more broadly. Current satellite launch service capacities are limited and concentrated.”

Partnership with Norwegian Space Agency

Recently, the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA) signed a contract with Isar Aerospace to launch its Arctic Ocean Surveillance (AOS) program satellites. 

The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) became the first civil aviation authority in Europe to grant a Launch Operator License for a test flight of an orbital launch vehicle from Continental Europe.

“Takk, Norge, Andøya Spaceport, and the Andøya community for being our trusted partners on this journey. With Norway, its institutions and people we found trustful and bold allies to help create sovereign and flexible access to space”, said Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-founder of Isar Aerospace.

Isar Aerospace: Satellite constellation deployment

Founded in 2018, Isar Aerospace develops, builds, and operates launch vehicles for transporting small and medium-sized satellites as well as satellite constellations into Earth’s orbit.

The founding duo developed their first prototypes at the MakerSpace, a high-tech workshop at UnternehmerTUM, the Center for Innovation and Business Creation at TUM.

The company received support from the XPRENEURS incubator at the center. Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners and other investors have funded the startup.

So far, Isar Aerospace has raised more than €400M in funding.

The company’s two-stage orbital launch vehicle, Spectrum, is specifically designed for satellite constellation deployment, enabling access to one of the most critical technological platforms: space.

“With a payload capacity of 1,000 kg, Isar Aerospace is proving to be a real solution for most of the global market demand for flexible and cost-efficient launch services, especially since Isar Aerospace has not only built a rocket, but an entire rocket production system,” adds Altan.