Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil

Isar Aerospace’s 28-meter Spectrum rocket launched from Andøya Space Center in Norway, reaching orbit seven minutes after liftoff and deploying five cubesats and a scientific experiment after a circularization burn that raised its perigee to 180 km and apogee to 500 km. The flight marks the first successful orbital launch from Western European soil and demonstrates the vehicle’s 1,000-kg low-Earth-orbit capability, with Isar planning up to 30 launches per year from its Munich facility.