Isar Aerospace launches Spectrum rocket on second test flight

Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from the Andøya spaceport in Norway at 10.12 p.m. on Saturday after several attempts, BR reported. It was the second successful test flight by the Bavarian space startup.

The rocket is intended to carry satellites into low Earth orbit once it reaches series production. According to the company, the test flight carried five small satellites and a scientific experiment.

A successful flight would mark an important step towards an independent European launch vehicle and reduced reliance on US providers such as SpaceX.