9.04.2026

The Spectrum rocket developed by German startup Isar Aerospace is set to carry out its second test flight on Thursday, after planned earlier launches from a Norwegian spaceport had to be delayed due to technical and weather issues.

The new launch window for the rocket, which will lift off from the Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway, opens at 2000 GMT, the Munich-based company said on Wednesday.

The latest attempt is to be broadcast live on YouTube, it said.

Germany's Isar Aerospace, founded in 2018, is a European rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

Spectrum completed its first test flight in March 2025, but crashed after about 30 seconds. Aerospace experts note that many maiden flights end in failure, and the company said it was able to collect valuable data from the attempt.

In January, the firm had to call off its second launch at short notice because of the valve malfunction.

The latest attempt to launch the Spectrum rocket at the end of March had to be aborted at the last minute due to a Norwegian fisherman who failed to leave the maritime security zone around the spaceport on Andøya island in time.

The rocket is designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit. A successful mission would mark a major milestone for Europe’s space industry, potentially enabling satellites to be launched from the continent using European-built rockets.

Europe is currently lagging the United States, China and India in the space sector, amid delays in the development of the European Space Agency's Ariane 6 launcher.

Quelle: yahoo