Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket lifted off from Andøya Spaceport in Norway and delivered payloads into orbit on its second flight, according to the company. The mission, titled Onward and Upward, included small satellites and experiments and was described by Isar as the first time a commercial European space company has launched satellites into orbit from European soil.
The flight follows an earlier Spectrum attempt in March 2026 that ended in failure, making the latest mission the programme’s second launch. If confirmed, the orbital insertion would represent a significant advance for Europe’s small-launch sector and for Isar Aerospace’s effort to build a commercial launch service from the continent.
The company framed the mission as the start of a new chapter for European spaceflight, while the available information from the launch remains centred on Isar’s own public statement. Independent mission reporting was not available in the material reviewed, so the orbital payload details should be treated as the company’s claim pending separate confirmation.