Isar Aerospace Reaches Orbit on Second Flight, Deploys Satellites From Norwegian Launch Site
Isar Aerospace became the first commercial space company from Europe to deliver satellites into orbit, achieving the milestone on only its second flight. The mission, named 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.
The flight served as a qualification mission for Isar Aerospace's Spectrum launch vehicle. The company said it is working with customers to confirm the status of the satellites now in orbit.
The vehicle successfully transited MaxQ, completed main engine cutoff and stage separation, then ignited its second stage as planned. It crossed the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 kilometers and jettisoned the payload fairing before reaching orbital velocity. After completing the circularization burn, spacecraft separation was completed successfully.
The mission's payloads were selected through the Microlauncher Competition of the German Space Agency at DLR, which provides educational institutions and start-ups with low-cost access to space. The Microlauncher Competition is funded through ESA Boost!
Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-Founder of Isar Aerospace, said the company had opened space from Continental Europe. "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," he said. Metzler added that Europe now has sovereign access to space and described the achievement as a new chapter for European spaceflight. "We achieved within a few years what had taken the European space industry decades before," he said, praising the company's team and setting out priorities to rapidly scale launch vehicle production, deliver on the order pipeline, and meet surging global demand.
In parallel with the launch, Isar Aerospace has advanced its network of launch sites and is nearing completion of what it describes as Europe's largest integrated production facility for launch vehicles. In addition to its site in Andøya, the company is constructing a launch complex in Nova Scotia, Canada, covering mid to high inclination orbits critical for Earth observation and communications.
The company said its model is designed to build scalable launch capabilities, developing not only a launch vehicle but also a vertically integrated manufacturing model with a high degree of automation, which it calls the machine behind the machine. Spectrum launch vehicles three through seven are already in production. With the opening of the new 40,000 square meter production facility, Isar Aerospace will eventually have the capacity to manufacture up to 40 launch vehicles per year.
Isar Aerospace framed the mission as a historic turning point for Europe, saying the launch is both a technical achievement and a breakthrough that will influence Europe's strategic, economic, and technological future, and that customers around the world now have a sovereign launch option available to them.
Isar Aerospace said its next steps include rapidly scaling launch vehicle production, delivering on its order pipeline, completing the new production facility, and finishing construction of its launch complex in Nova Scotia, Canada. The company is continuing to work with customers to confirm the status of the satellites deployed on the Onward and Upward mission.