A Norwegian spaceport is gearing up for its first orbital launch for Isar Aerospace after getting a government license.
Andøya Spaceport, located on Andøya Island above the Arctic Circle, announced it received approval from Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries to start launches.
This site will be where Isar Aerospace, a German company working on the Spectrum small launch vehicle, begins its missions. The spaceport celebrated the completion of the launch pad for Spectrum last November.
“There is a huge team effort behind the work to get this license in place. Ever since 2018, our team has been building the foundation that now enables launch of satellites from Norwegian soil,” said Lasse Berg, interim president of Andøya Spaceport.
According to the Norwegian ministry, the license allows for up to 30 launches per year, including four overnight, with missions heading to polar and sun-synchronous orbits. These will be overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway.
“The first satellite launch from Andøya will be a historic moment for Norway as a space nation. Norway will have a capacity that few other countries have, and which will be of great use not only for Norway, but also for our allies and partners in the EU and NATO,” said Cecilie Myrseth, Norway’s industry minister.
With the license in place, Isar Aerospace can now move forward with final tests, including hotfire tests of the rocket stages, before their first launch. However, there’s no exact timeline for these tests or the inaugural flight yet.
Isar Aerospace, which raised 65 million euros ($72 million) in June through a Series C round led by the NATO Innovation Fund, also did not provide a specific schedule. “Depending on the outcome of the first and second stage tests, we will approach our first test flight as soon as possible,” a company spokesperson said.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries mentioned that Isar Aerospace will need its own separate launch license, which is currently under review. The first launch is planned for later this year.
If everything goes as scheduled, Isar Aerospace might be the first among European startups to attempt an orbital launch. Rocket Factory Augsburg was expected to try in September, but they had a setback when their first stage was destroyed during a static-fire test at SaxaVord Spaceport.
It’s exciting to see new space companies pushing boundaries!
