Europe has its first commercial orbital rocket

<figure> <img alt="Isar Aerospace launching Spectrum." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Isar Aerospace" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/c-Isar-Aerospace-Flight-2_2026-09-05-224332_ylbv.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">German company Isar Aerospace has successfully launched Europe's <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/german-company-becomes-first-in-europe-to-launch-fully-commercial-orbital-rocket/">first entirely commercial orbital rocket</a>. It attempted to achieve the feat last March, but that lasted all of 30 seconds before the vehicle crashed into the sea and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/639386/isar-aerospace-test-flight-failure-explosion">exploded</a>. This time the company managed to get the two-stage Spectrum into low Earth orbit from a Norwegian spaceport.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">CEO and Co-Founder Daniel Metzler said in a <a href="https://isaraerospace.com/press/history-for-european-spaceflight-isar-aerospace-reaches-orbit-and-deploys-payloads-on-second-flight">press release</a>:</p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">"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 customers … Europe no …</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/science/990906/isar-aerospace-europe-orbital-rocket-launch">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>