Feldkirch start-up Isar Aerospace takes off: successful rocket test!

Feldkirch start-up Isar Aerospace takes off: successful rocket test!

Isar Aerospace, a Bavarian space startup, carried out the first test flight of its newly developed Spectrum rocket from the Norwegian space station Andoya on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Loud vol.at The flight lasted about 30 seconds before the rocket crashed into the sea in a controlled manner. Although the flight did not achieve full functionality, Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar Aerospace, considers the test a “great success” because valuable data was collected.

This test is a double first: it is both the first flight for Isar Aerospace and the first launch of an orbital launch vehicle from European soil. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the start had to be postponed several times. Nevertheless, the successful test flight shows Isar Aerospace's potential to increase the competitiveness of the German space industry. Economics Minister Robert Habeck described the test launch as a “milestone” for German space travel.

Technical details of the Spectrum rocket

The Spectrum rocket is 28 meters long and 2 meters in diameter. Depending on the desired orbit, it can carry a payload of 700 to 1,000 kilos. For comparison: SpaceX's Falcon 9 is 70 meters long and can transport up to 22.8 tons. This shows that European start-ups, including Isar Aerospace, want to play a strong role in the global space sector and satellite launches in the near future. The start-up has already raised over 400 million euros in capital, including from Porsche SE.

Isar Aerospace is currently working on the development of a second and third Spectrum rocket. In addition, the company expects to support not only national but also international customers with satellite launches. More and more German startups, including Rocket Factory Augsburg, are interested in developing private launch vehicles and becoming active in orbital rocket launches, fueling new competition in the space sector that has previously been dominated by companies like SpaceX zdf.de reported.

Requirements and expectations

The European space industry is under pressure to keep pace with the industry's major players. This is particularly clear in the demands for further investments: To ensure the competitiveness of German space travel, an increase in funding to 500 million euros for the national space program and 6 billion euros for the European Space Agency (ESA) is required. Marie-Christine von Hahn, General Manager of the Federal Association of the German Aerospace Industry, described Isar Aerospace's test flight as a groundbreaking step towards strengthening European space expertise.

However, the challenges are great. Europe's current dependence on outside partners, such as American rocket launch companies, is at odds with ambitions to establish an independent and competitive space industry. Until now, Germany has emerged as a supplier of space content rather than a serious player in the global market. However, like that zdf.de, Isar Aerospace's successful test flight shows that this could gradually change.