The German company Isar Aerospace became the first commercial company to launch a rocket into orbit from Europe, with the Spectrum rocket placing five small satellites in space after departing from the Andøya centre in Norway. The launch was carried out on the second attempt, as the first mission, carried out 18 months ago, ended only 30 seconds after takeoff.
The company was founded in 2018 and was valued at approximately two billion euros after raising 270 million euros in June. It has launch capacity reserved until the end of 2028 and intends to produce 40 rockets per year.
In 2025, European entities carried out only seven successful launches, a number far lower than the approximately 180 launches in the United States and the 90 in China during the same period. This data highlights the disparity between Europe and the world's space powers.
The article also notes that demand from defence-related clients has increased significantly, rising from 15% to 60% of the total in the past year.
