Norway achieves orbit with launch of German Spectrum rocket

The launch of the Isar Aerospace Spectrum rocket from the Andøya Space spaceport on 5 September 2026 marked the first orbital launch of a payload from European soil, with significant ramifications for the military defence of the High North. (Isar Aerospace)

Norway has achieved the delivery of an orbital payload, with the launch of the Isar Aerospace Spectrum rocket on 5 September 2026.

The privately-owned German-built rocket launched from Andøya Space on Norway's northern Atlantic coast at 22:12 CEST, achieving orbit just over seven minutes later.

“Today, Isar Aerospace opened space from continental Europe. Launch continues to be the largest bottleneck for the global space industry and from today on, there is a true alternative for commercial and institutional customers”, said Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of Isar Aerospace. The 28 m Spectrum rocket is first orbital launch from European soil (Virgin Orbit previously launched a rocket from a Boeing 747 flying out of Spaceport Cornwall in the United Kingdom in January 2023, but while the rocket reached space it failed to achieve orbit).

The successful launch of Spectrum came 18 months after the first attempt in March 2025 saw the rocket clear the launch site before crashing a short time later and a short distance away. Although that event saw the total destruction of the vehicle, it was billed as a success by the stakeholders who said that much data had been gleaned to inform future missions, including this first orbital flight.