Europe has its first commercial orbital rocket

Isar Aerospace successfully launched its two-stage Spectrum rocket into low Earth orbit from a Norwegian spaceport, becoming Europe’s first fully commercial orbital launch provider. The milestone follows a failed attempt in March, when the rocket crashed into the sea shortly after liftoff.

The launch gives Europe a new domestic path to orbit at a time when access to launch capacity remains a major bottleneck. If Isar can turn this into reliable service, it could strengthen Europe’s commercial space ecosystem and reduce reliance on non-European providers.