That is why the test flight of Isar Aerospace is so important

The period for the test flight of the Isar Aerospace launches begins. The start is the Norwegian space station Andøya Spaceport. If the test succeeds, it is not just a milestone for the startup.

With 400 million euros, Isar Aerospace is the best-financed space-tech in Europe. Only last summer the startup completed a large round of financing. Today, Thursday, March 20, it can officially start its first test flight, as Isar Aerospace announced in a message.

Daniel Metzler founded the 2018 startup. Isar Aerospace develops and builds carrier missiles that are supposed to bring satellites to the Earth orbit. NATO is also invested. Isar Aerospace is moving in the market with competitors such as SpaceX and thus also with Elon Musk, whose companies have so far dominated it.

An important milestone for Europe

The upcoming test flight of the launching missile called “Spectrum” is not only an important milestone for Isar Aerospace, but also for Europe. Because Isar Aerospace plans an orbital test flight, so with the carrier rocket wants to enter the earth orbit. The starting point is in continental Europe, more precisely in the Andøya space station in Norway. There the startup has an exclusive starting ramp – and thus its own infrastructure.

If the test flight succeeds, Isar Aerospace could give Europe access to space, regardless of non-European companies and locations for rocket starts. Because: The ESA space station is located in the north of South America in Kourou in French Guayana. From there, European rockets are usually sent to space. Finally, the Ariane 6 carrier rocket, with which the ESA transported a satellite of the French Air Force.

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Independent space industry urgently needed

Almost half of the almost 11,000 satellites in space belongs, 7,000 pieces, Elon Musk. According to media reports, researcher Antje Nötzold at the European Space Conference said in January.

If Isar Aerospace test flight succeeds, it is a success for Germany and Europe as a space location and its technological sovereignty. And Europe needs it for economy and security. So the space industry is essential. “It improves the internet coverage in remote regions, enables more precise weather forecasts and supports the monitoring of climate change,” writes investor and doctor of aerospace, Hendrik Brandis, in a contribution to the start -up scene. “It also plays a crucial role in our security because countries are severely restricted in their defense skills without access to space -based technologies.”

European investments in space-tech

Accordingly, investments are also made in space startups. In the case of innovations in this area, a distinction is made between upstream and downstream. Upstream means everything that promotes objects into space and has to do with the operation of space -way system. For example, the construction and development of satellites and carrier missiles. Downstream, on the other hand, means space technology that is used on earth, such as satellite data.

In total, Europe invested $ 1.9 billion in Space-Tech startups worldwide last year. This is shown by data from Dealroom in cooperation with the ESA, Euspa and Fondazione e.amaldi. The data also shows that Europe is investing more in technologies that send objects to space. According to the Dealroom, Germany is one of the top countries for risk financing in the space area and is $ 273 million ahead of France ($ 196 million) and UK ($ 146 million).

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Other Space-Tech startups from Germany

In addition to Isar Aerospace, the Franco-German Startup The Exploration Company also completed a large financing round last year. The startup of investors received 150 million euros. It is the largest Series B to date that has ever come together for a European Space Tech Company. The startup develops reusable and refurbished space, which should be sustainable and inexpensive. And the Startup Polaris also made a breakthrough last year. It ignited an Aerospike rocket engine in flight. The engine is more efficient than classic nozzles, but also more complex. Polaris has thus made an important progress for the space industry.

However, both of these startups have a different focus than Isar Aerospace. Nevertheless, the Space-Tech-Satrtup in its field in Europe is not alone: ​​Other startups also develop rockets that you want to start from European soil. So there is a race for the best position in the market. Who will succeed in the first orbital test flight?

Other European startups also plan test flights

The Spanish Startup PLD Space, for example, which also specializes in bringing satellites into the earth's orbit by means of small carrier missiles, plans its first orbital test flight for the end of 2025, or in early 2026. At a test flight in 2023, a rocket from PLD Space made it into the upper earth's atmosphere, but not in space. And the British Startup Orbex is also planning a test flight from Scotland for 2025. There are also direct competition for Isar Aerospace from Germany.

In May 2024, the Startup Hyimpulse completed a successful test flight of a rocket that is operated with candle wax. However, the rocket started in Australia and not in Europe. And the Startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) also works to send rockets into space. The startup belongs to the Bremen space group OHB and received a license at the beginning of the year to start with the “RFA One” missile – like Orbex – from Scotland. However, there was an incident for one of the last key tests last August, for the planned first flight of the small rocket “RFA One”. After the engines ignited, the rocket has exploded-this does not only happen Elon Musk SpaceX rockets. Isar Aerospace also has to pass the test flight of the “Spectrum” rocket.

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