Isar Aerospace conducted the inaugural test flight of its Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andøya Spaceport.
The 28-meter, two-stage launch vehicle lifted off at 12:30 p.m. local time but experienced an anomaly approximately 30 seconds into the flight, resulting in a crash into the sea on March 30, 2025.
Despite the setback, Isar Aerospace’s CEO and co-founder, Daniel Metzler, characterized the mission as a success, stating, “Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success. We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.”
Video of the Isar Aerospace "Full Spectrum" Launch at Andøya. 📸 video: @isaraerospace / @AndoyaSpace pic.twitter.com/mnZel9l0Vc
— Selshevneren (@selshevneren) March 30, 2025
The Spectrum rocket is designed to place small and medium-sized satellites into orbit, with a payload capacity of up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. Powered by ten Aquila engines burning a mixture of liquid oxygen and propane, the rocket aims to provide flexible and cost-effective launch services.
The company plans to analyze data from this test flight to inform future missions and continues to develop its launch capabilities to meet the growing demand for satellite deployment.
Isar Aerospace, founded in 2018 by former aerospace engineering students from the Technical University of Munich, has attracted significant investment, including contributions from NATO’s Innovation Fund.