Isar Aerospace receives NCAA Permit for launch and is ready for first test flight
05:03 GMT+1 ∙ 17 Mar, 2025
Satellite launch service company Isar Aerospace receives its permit for first flight. On Friday, 14 March the company has been granted the Launch Operator License by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for its first test flight from Andøya Spaceport. Subject to weather, safety and range infrastructure, the company is preparing to conduct the first test flight of its Spectrum launch vehicle under this permit, with a launch period beginning 20 March 2025.
Mission ‘Going Full Spectrum’: first flight of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe
Isar Aerospace’s first test flight will lift-off from Andøya Spaceport in Norway. With the mission ‘Going Full Spectrum’, Isar Aerospace will conduct the first flight of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe. The first test flight will not include any customer payloads.
“We are approaching the most important moment of our journey so far, and I would like to thank all our team, partners, customers and investors who have been accompanying and trusting us. In today's geopolitical climate, our first test flight is about much more than a rocket launch: Space is one of the most critical platforms for our security, resilience and technological advancement. In the next days, Isar Aerospace will lay the foundations to regain much needed independent and competitive access to space from Europe.”
Objective of first mission: collecting as much data and experience as possible
With the first test flight, Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible. The company’s Spectrum launch vehicle was designed, developed and built almost entirely in-house. For Spectrum it is the first fully integrated test of all systems.
The test results will feed into the iterations and development of future Spectrum vehicles, which are being built and tested in parallel.
“Our goal is to test each and every component and system of the launch vehicle. No matter how far we come with this test flight, Mission ‘Going Full Spectrum’ will be a reason for our entire team to be very proud, a success for Isar Aerospace and our close partner Andøya Spaceport, and a huge step forward for European access to space.”
Launch site Andøya Spaceport
Andøya Spaceport is continental Europe’s first operational orbital launch site and was established to facilitate commercial and institutional satellite launches. The spaceport construction started in 2021. Isar Aerospace has exclusive access to Andøya Spaceport’s first launch pad, which the company has designed to its own specifications.
