The European non-public house launch supplier Isar Aerospace, headquartered in Ottobrunn, Germany, is about to fly its Spectrum small-satellite launcher on its second mission after months of delays and aborted launch makes an attempt. A few 12 months and an half after Spectrum’s first flight failed, the corporate is to fly the “Onward and Upward” mission from the Orbital Launch Pad on the Andoya Spaceport in Norway. Liftoff is scheduled for 20:00 UTC on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Spectrum was initially scheduled to fly as early as Jan. 21, however that try was scrubbed as a consequence of a defective pressurization valve. The launch was rescheduled for mid-March; nonetheless, as a consequence of a mixture of climate, vary issues of safety, and an sudden improve in engine gas temperatures, the mission was finally scrubbed.
A brand new April launch date was additionally scrubbed as a consequence of a suspected leak in a composite overwrapped stress vessel. One other try in June was delayed as a consequence of points with the rocket’s fluid programs. Isar initially focused August for a brand new try, however was not prepared then.
The Isar Aerospace Spectrum on the launch pad earlier than final June’s try was scrubbed. (Credit score: Isar Aerospace)
For “Onward and Upward,” Isar Aerospace will try and enter orbit. This flight, taking a trajectory to a Solar-synchronous orbit, can even carry Spectrum’s first buyer payloads, together with 5 cubesats and one experiment; its goal, as per Isar Aerospace, is to qualify the launch car below operational circumstances.
Spectrum’s first flight, “Going Full Spectrum,” launched on March 30, 2025, however failed after simply 30 seconds into flight when the rocket misplaced perspective management after beginning a pitch-over maneuver. An investigation discovered {that a} vent valve unexpectedly opened initially of the pitch-over maneuver at T+25 seconds. The flight termination command, which lower off Spectrum’s 9 engines, was issued at T+30 seconds, and the rocket plunged into the ocean close to the launch website, lacking the launch pad.
The corporate upgraded Spectrum’s software program and elevated the car’s margins as a part of corrective actions after the failure. The Spectrum car for “Onward and Upward” efficiently handed built-in static hearth exams, lasting 30 seconds, for each of its phases late final 12 months, and is now on the launch pad.
Spectrum’s first stage makes use of 9 Aquila engines with propane and liquid oxygen as propellants, whereas its second stage makes use of one vacuum-optimized Aquila engine utilizing the identical propellants. Propane is clean-burning and affords the next particular impulse — a measure of gas effectivity for rockets — than different carbon-based fuels.
Artist’s impression of the Spectrum’s second stage launching a payload into orbit. (Credit score: Isar Aerospace)
The second stage is designed for a number of in-flight restarts, eliminating the necessity for a kick stage to position payloads into their desired orbits. The rocket, 28 m tall and two meters in diameter, can carry 700 kg to a Solar-synchronous orbit (SSO) from Andøya or 1,000 kg to a low-Earth orbit (LEO) from Kourou, French Guiana, which Isar additionally plans to make use of as a launch website for Spectrum.
By comparability, Rocket Lab’s 18 m tall Electron carries as much as 200 kg to SSO and 320 kg to LEO. Firefly’s Alpha carries as much as 630 kg to SSO and 1,030 kg to LEO. Spectrum, like Alpha, can serve the upper finish of the small satellite tv for pc market.
For this flight, Spectrum is carrying an experiment payload from the German house {hardware} producer Dcubed, in addition to cubesats from Technische Universitat Berlin (TU Berlin), the Norwegian College of Science and Know-how (NTNU), the College of Maribor, the Technische Universitat Wien Area Workforce (TU Wien), and EnduroSat. These 5 cubesats are the primary satellites to fly aboard Spectrum.
5 payloads flying on “Onward and Upward” are proven right here throughout launch processing. (Credit score: Isar Aerospace)
TU Berlin’s CybeeSat will exhibit a miniaturized transceiver for the Brief Length Mission frequency band, cybersecurity purposes, and {hardware}, together with radiation-tolerant perovskite photo voltaic cells. NTNU’s FramSat-1, in-built Norway, is a demonstrator for Norwegian-built house know-how.
The College of Maribor’s TriSat-S will take a look at battery efficiency after prolonged hibernation in house, together with a brand new optical navigation system, whereas the TU Wien SpaceTeamSat-1 will permit Austrian college students to run software program that they developed on the satellite tv for pc.
Lastly, EnduroSat’s Platform 6 will fly know-how demonstrations and buyer payloads. Exolaunch, the German small-satellite integrator and flight supplier, is collaborating on this flight with deployer tools.
These payloads will, in fact, solely be capable of fulfill their missions in the event that they attain orbit, and that’s removed from assured with this take a look at flight. One main take a look at for “Onward and Upward” can be efficiently finishing the pitch-over maneuver, the place “Going Full Spectrum” failed.
One other main take a look at for Spectrum is stage separation and the efficiency of the second stage, together with fairing separation. Each second of knowledge past what “Going Full Spectrum” delivered is essential for the car’s growth.
Our launch manifest is filling up quickly! Now we have signed a launch settlement with U.S.-based integration and mission providers supplier @SEOPSLLC for a devoted mission in 2028, increasing versatile and unbiased entry to orbit for our world prospects. Extra:… pic.twitter.com/BEfM4ixQoM
— Isar Aerospace (@isaraerospace) November 18, 2025
Isar Aerospace now has two launch service agreements with the European Area Company (ESA) to launch CASSINI from the Dutch firm ISISpace and the “Tom and Jerry” mission from the French firm Infinite Orbits. These agreements are a part of the Flight Ticket Initiative launched by ESA and the European Fee.
Along with the Flight Ticket Initiative payloads, Isar additionally not too long ago agreed to launch a devoted mission for the U.S. firm SEOPS in 2028. The Norwegian Area Company is launching two Arctic Ocean surveillance satellites on the identical flight, and Redwire can also be flying the Sigma YNDEO-3 with 10 European-built demonstration payloads on a future flight.
In keeping with Isar’s Chief Industrial Officer Stella Guillen in a November 2025 press launch, “The worldwide demand for launch capability from Europe continues to speed up as nations and industries acknowledge the strategic significance of unbiased entry to house.” Spectrum’s second flight is crucial to point out the corporate’s progress and readiness to service the European and world house launch markets.
NSF is partnering with Isar Aerospace to offer livestream manufacturing providers for the “Onward and Upward” mission.
(Lead picture: Spectrum on the Orbital Launch Pad at Andøya Spaceport earlier than the “Onward and Upward” mission. Credit score: Isar Aerospace)
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