German Startup Sends First Commercial Rocket into Space From Europe

Isar Aerospace plans rapid expansion amid race to capitalise on expanding satellite-launch market.

A German startup has launched the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe, a milestone for Europe’s efforts to secure independent access to space.

Isar Aerospace said on Sunday that it would rapidly ⁠expand satellite deployments after the ⁠first orbital launch of ​its uncrewed Spectrum rocket from Arctic Norway, marking a ⁠breakthrough for a region where several countries are seeking a foothold in the fast-growing market for satellite launches.

“Launch capability is right now the biggest bottleneck in the entire industry,” Isar’s co-founder and chief executive, Daniel Metzler, told reporters.

Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, hailed Saturday’s launch in a ​statement, calling it “the beginning of a new era”.

Global players ⁠in the satellite launch market include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which launches from the US, and the French firm ArianeGroup, ​a joint venture between Airbus and Safran ​that uses a spaceport in French Guiana, South America,