Photo: Isar Aerospace

European launch startup Isar Aerospace successfully completed static firings of both stages of its Spectrum launch vehicle in a key milestone for the company. Isar Aerospace announced the successful tests on Feb. 21 as it approaches its inaugural test flight.

On February 14, Isar Aerospace completed the pre-flight stage testing operations with a 30-second integrated nine-engine static fire test of Stage 1, resulting in the qualification of the launch vehicle for flight. Stage 2 had been qualified in a static fire test already in the third quarter of 2024.

Isar Aerospace’s first test flight could mark the first launch of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe. The team successfully completed all milestones of pre-flight preparations, including testing and accepting all in-house developed engines, the payload fairing, and static fire tests of both stages. The launch period for Spectrum’s first test flight will be determined as part of Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) licensing procedure. The test flight will be conducted from Isar Aerospace’s launch site at Andøya Spaceport in Norway.

“We are almost ready for the test flight. All we need is the license. By enabling space access from mainland Europe, we provide a critical resource for ensuring sovereignty and resilience,” Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of Isar Aerospace, said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of our international team from over 50 nations. Reaching this milestone is a huge success in itself. And while Spectrum is ready for its first test flight, launch vehicles for flights two and three are already in production.”