Europe has its first commercial orbital rocket
Isar Aerospace gives the continent more options to “buy European” for space launches.
by Terrence O'Brien
Sep 6, 2026, 7:04 PM UTC
Image: Isar Aerospace
Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.
German company Isar Aerospace has successfully launched Europe’s first entirely commercial orbital rocket. It attempted to achieve the feat last March, but that lasted all of 30 seconds before the vehicle crashed into the sea and exploded. This time the company managed to get the two-stage Spectrum into low Earth orbit from a Norwegian spaceport.
CEO and Co-Founder Daniel Metzler said in a press release:
“Today, Isar Aerospace 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...
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