German Firm Isar Aerospace Sends Europe's First Privately Built Rocket Into Orbit

Germany's Isar Aerospace said its 28 metre Spectrum rocket blasted off from the Andoya spaceport in Arctic Norway at 11:42pm Tehran time on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (20:12 GMT, 14 Shahrivar 1405), reaching an altitude of 100 kilometers in under four minutes. The company said the uncrewed rocket carried five satellites, which were successfully deployed in orbit, calling it the first time a privately developed rocket has reached space from Europe. Isar Aerospace signed a $230 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) in August to accelerate development of launch vehicles. ESA's director of space transportation, Geraldine Naja, described the milestone as the start of competition among European launch providers. According to Al Jazeera, the United States launched 198 rockets last year, compared with just eight launched by Europe.