Europe has achieved a major breakthrough in the space race. Until now, they had to rely on other countries to launch satellites. This is the first time a rocket made by a private company in Europe has successfully reached space. This success came from the hands of the German space company Essar Aerospace.
On September 5, at 10:12 pm local time, the Spectrum rocket made by Essar Aerospace was launched from the Andoya Space Port in the Arctic region of Norway. The 28-meter or 92-foot-long rocket rose about 100 kilometers above the surface and reached the edge of space in less than four minutes after launch. Not only did it reach the edge of space, but the unmanned rocket also carried five satellites.
Later, the rocket successfully placed them in a specific orbit. Europe has had to rely on other countries to send satellites into space for a long time. After deteriorating relations with Russia, Europe stopped using Russian Suz rockets. This makes the lack of its own rockets and launch capabilities even more evident.
Currently, most of Europe's satellites are launched by the US space company SpaceX. The statistics also show that Europe is lagging behind. While the US launched 199 rockets in 2025, only eight were launched from Europe. Earlier, initiatives were taken to build Europe's own private space sector. However, some of them failed. Therefore, this successful launch by Germany's ISAR Aerospace is seen as a major breakthrough.
ISAR Aerospace, however, does not want to stop here. The company aims to build about 40 small commercial rockets every year. Through this, they want to create an opportunity to send satellites into space at a low cost. ISAR Aerospace has also received a $230 million contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to advance this plan.
Therefore, the successful launch of Spectrum is not just an event of sending a rocket into space, but also a step forward in Europe's path to increasing its own space capabilities and reducing its dependence on the United States.
