Isar Aerospace is a German aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider founded in 2018. They are developing "Spectrum," a two-stage, liquid-fueled rocket designed to launch small to medium-sized satellites (up to 1,000 kg) into low Earth orbit. Isar Aerospace operates launch sites in Andøya, Norway and intends to launch from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana and has secured contracts with customers like Airbus Defence and Space and the Norwegian Space Agency. The company's key investors include the NATO Innovation Fund, Earlybird, Airbus Ventures, and Lakestar.
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Isar Aerospace won two additional missions through ESA’s Flight Ticket Initiative: an Infinite Orbits debris-servicing demonstration and an Isispace cubesat deployment.
The NATO Innovation Fund joined Isar Aerospace as an investor in 2024.
Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket flew for 30 seconds on its first launch from Andøya Spaceport on March 30, 2025.
Isar Aerospace manufactures roughly 95% of the Spectrum vehicle in-house.
Isar Aerospace was co-founded in 2018 by Daniel Metzler, Josef Fleischmann, and Markus Brandl.
Daniel Metzler was 25 when he co-founded Isar Aerospace in 2018.
Isar Aerospace has secured over €400 million in lifetime funding.
Isar Aerospace employs more than 400 people across five international locations.
Isar Aerospace raised over €220 million in its Series C round.
ESA signed a launch services contract with Isar Aerospace in December 2025 for the Syndeo-3 mission.
In January 2026, Isar Aerospace announced its second Spectrum test flight from Andøya, called Onward and Upward.
Isar Aerospace has launch agreements with SEOPS and R-Space through ESA’s Marketplace program.
Isar Aerospace is among the companies selected for ESA’s European Launcher Challenge.
The 28-meter Spectrum vehicle made Isar Aerospace the first private company to launch an orbital-class rocket from continental Europe.
Isar Aerospace stood down from a launch attempt to evaluate a suspected leak in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV).
Isar Aerospace’s teams are assessing the suspected COPV leak and will determine next steps.
Andøya Space operates the launch site used by Isar Aerospace.
Isar Aerospace’s upcoming Onward and Upward mission with Spectrum will support five customer satellites for Exolaunch.
Astroscale’s ELSA-M de-orbit mission is scheduled to launch on an Isar Aerospace flight no earlier than May 2027.
Isar Aerospace is targeting 9 April 2026 for the launch of Mission Onward and Upward.