Isar Aerospace reaches orbit on second flight, a first for European commercial spaceflight

Isar Aerospace became the first commercial space company from Europe to deliver satellites into orbit, succeeding on only its second flight. Mission "Onward and Upward" lifted off from the company's dedicated launch complex at Andøya Space in Norway at 10:12 pm CEST on 5 September 2026 and deployed its payloads in orbit.

A second flight that made orbit

According to the company, the vehicle transited MaxQ, completed main engine cut-off and stage separation, and then ignited its second stage as planned. It crossed the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 kilometres and jettisoned the payload fairing before reaching orbital velocity. After a circularization burn, spacecraft separation was completed successfully. Isar Aerospace says it is now working with customers to confirm the status of the satellites.

The payloads were selected through the Microlauncher Competition run by the German Space Agency at DLR, which gives educational institutions and start-ups low-cost access to space; the competition is funded through ESA Boost!

"Europe now has sovereign access to space"

"Today, Isar Aerospace opened space from Continental Europe," said Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder. "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."

Metzler added that the company achieved within a few years what had taken the European space industry decades, and that it will now focus on scaling launch vehicle production, delivering on its order pipeline and meeting global demand.

Production and launch sites

Isar Aerospace says Spectrum vehicles 3 to 7 are already in production. With the opening of a new 40,000 square metre production facility, the company expects to have the capacity to manufacture up to 40 launch vehicles per year. Alongside the Andøya site, it is building a launch complex in Nova Scotia, Canada, intended to cover the mid- to high-inclination orbits used for Earth observation and communications.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered near Munich, Isar Aerospace employs more than 400 people across five international locations, with the launch vehicle developed, manufactured and tested almost entirely in-house.