Satellite launch service company Isar Aerospace is preparing for its first test flight, having completed static firings of both stages of its launch vehicle ‘Spectrum’. The first flight will take place from Andøya Spaceport in Norway as soon as possible following Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) approval and licensing.

On February 14, Isar Aerospace completed the pre-flight stage testing operations with a 30-second integrated nine-engine static fire test of Stage 1, resulting in the qualification of the launch vehicle for flight. Stage 2 had already qualified in a static fire test in 2024-Q3.

“We are almost ready for the test flight. All we need is the license”, says Daniel Metzler, Isar Aerospace CEO & Co-Founder. “By enabling space access from mainland Europe, we provide a critical resource for ensuring sovereignty and resilience. Regarding the first test flight, he adds: “I am extremely proud of our international team from over 50 nations. Reaching this milestone is a huge success in itself. And while Spectrum is ready for its first test flight, launch vehicles for flights two and three are already in production.”

Isar Aerospace has established itself as a technology leader, having developed proprietary know-how through full in-house vertical integration, spanning design, production, and testing & launch operations. “Owning the entire value chain of ‘Spectrum’ gives us maximum flexibility and independence”, says Josef Fleischmann, Isar Aerospace CTO & Co-Founder. “We develop, build, and test almost the entire launch vehicle in-house, including our ‘Aquila’ engines. The flight will be the first integrated test of tens of thousands of components”, says Fleischmann. “Regardless of how far we get, this first test flight will hopefully generate an enormous amount of data and experience which we can apply to future missions.”

Isar Aerospace’s first test flight will mark the first launch of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe. The team completed all milestones of pre-flight preparations, including testing and accepting all in-house developed engines, the payload fairing, and static fire tests of both stages. Spectrum’s first test flight's launch period will be determined as part of the NCAA’s licensing procedure. The test flight will be conducted from Isar Aerospace’s exclusive launch site at Andøya Spaceport in Norway.

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