Germany's Isar Aerospace launches rocket into orbit from Norway

Germany's Isar Aerospace launched a rocket into orbit from Norway on Saturday as Europe races to boost its ability to economically send satellites into space independently of the United States.

Isar's 28-metre (92-foot) long Spectrum rocket blasted off shortly after 2000 GMT from Andoya spaceport, north of the Arctic circle, the company said.

"We're in orbit! And just made European history: This is the first time a privately developed rocket reached orbit from continental Europe," the company announced on X about the launch from the Norwegian spaceport Andoya.

The successful launch follows months of delays, caused by either technical or safety issues, and a test flight in March 2025 in which a Spectrum plunged back to earth and exploded.

While France's Arianespace has long operated from French Guiana, Europe is betting on competition between Isar and other companies to more cheaply launch satellites in future, as Elon Musk's SpaceX has done in the United States.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in June that Germany was eagerly anticipating the Isar Aerospace launch, and was looking forward to launches from two other German private space firms.

"Space is not only crucial for our security, but it is also becoming an increasingly important part of our economic sphere," Merz said at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin.

The launch comes at a time US President Donald Trump has badly shaken European trust in the NATO alliance, with Europe worrying about its dependence on America, including in space launch capabilities.

"We need capacity. We need independence," Merz said in March while visiting the Andoya facility with Norway's prime minister. "For far too long we have relied on other delivery systems and other nations around the world."

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has announced a 35 billion euro (over $40 billion) drive by 2030 to build out space capacity.

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