With its Spectrum rocket, the Isar Aerospace company apparently has everything to succeed. Money, public and private support, several available launch sites… However, it basically lacks being able to launch said rocket. He achieved it in March 2025, but it exploded just a minute later. He has tried again up to 4 times in 2026, but in any case the countdown has been paused due to some technical setback.
The last of these attempts was this week, on Monday, June 15. The launch window will remain open until the 21st, but so far it has not been announced if there will be another attempt soon. The company has stated that every mistake is a lesson and that it is learning a lot from them, but the point is that it needs to take flight completely so that all those investors see a return benefit. Time passes and it is important to detect what technical problems are making takeoff so difficult.
Five attempts. The explosion of 2025 It was due to the opening of a ventilation valve in mid-flight, which later caused the loss of attitude control of the rocket. Later, on January 21, it was a failure in a pressurization valve that prevented the launch. Then, on March 25, a dangerous increase in the temperature of liquid propane fuel was detected. To top it off, an unauthorized vessel entered the danger zone around the launch site. Logically, that was bad luck, but the problems continued.
For example, in the April 9 attempt a possible leak was also located in a pressurized tank. Finally, this last attempt, that of June 15, it was not completed due to a failure in the fluid system. The problems have been of various kinds and it is important to solve them in time.
ESA investment. Isar Aerospace is supported by ESAwhich has invested 205 million euros in it through the European Launcher Challenge program. In fact, in this last attempt the Spectrum rocket was loaded with 5 cubesats and an experiment from the European agency itself.
Other investors. The company also has received 270 million euros of private investmentcoming from investors such as Island Green Capital, Molten Ventures, HV Capital or Lakestar. With all this, it is expected to reach a production level of more than 30 launchers a year. But of course, for that you have to take off with the first one.
More launch locations. Currently, Isar Aerospace launches its rockets from the Andøya spaceport in northern Norway. However, it plans to build a new facility in Canada and has already signed a letter of intent with Maritime Launch Services to incorporate the Nova Scotia spaceport as a second operational site. He has even reached agreements to use the ramp of the old Diamant rocketin it French Guiana Spaceport.
The fishermen do not support it. The German company has a lot of support, although it lacks that of the Norwegian fishermenthat they complain of the launch attempts that disrupt their work in Andøya. In fact, this place is also used as a military testing ground, so many complaints have also been issued about it.
The money is already there, now the technology is missing. In short, this company has the money and, yes, the technology too, but it clearly fails. There is something that must be solved, because the fishermen’s problem is solved by changing the launch site, but the problem of not taking flight can end up with the loss of investors. Isar Aerospace engineers have a lot of work ahead of them.
Image | Isar Aerospace
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