Europe's first private rocket to orbit? Isar Aerospace is ready for lift off!
BIG milestones ahead for European space. The year keeps getting better.
Welcome to Aerospace Insider 🚀
In this week’s issue, we’re diving into the latest and greatest from Europe’s booming space sector. Big things are happening!
Today’s summary:
🚀 Aerospace News: Europe’s got a launch coming up!!!!!!!
💼 Top Space Jobs: don’t miss this week’s job opportunities!
🔍 Deep Dive: Isar Aerospace is about to make history.
Aerospace Weekly Roundup
Catch the latest European & global space industry highlights you can't afford to miss!
🚀 Isar Aerospace ready for first test flight
Isar Aerospace has received a launch permit (!!!) from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority for its first test flight from Andøya Spaceport. Launch can be as early as March 20. The mission is named: "Going Full Spectrum" and aims to collect data and experience with the Spectrum launch vehicle. This will be their first orbital launch attempt and can make Isar Aerospace the first private European company to reach orbit!
…although getting to orbit on the first try is a challenge in itself already, I couldn’t be more excited! Let’s go, Isar!
🌕 Firefly's Blue Ghost 1 mission finishes successfully
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander completed its mission achieving all its objectives. The lander operated for over two weeks, returning 100+ gigabytes of data, half of which came from NASA-sponsored payloads. Highlights include tracking GPS signals on the moon and drilling deeper into the lunar surface than ever before. The mission also observed a lunar eclipse and studied the dust environment after sunset.
🚀 SpaceX launches Transporter-13 rideshare mission
SpaceX's Falcon 9 launched 74 payloads on the Transporter-13 mission on what’s already a routine mission. One highlight this time was that this was part of a series of three Falcon 9 launches within 12 hours. The mission included satellites from both new and returning customers, such as Spire, Iceye, and Varda Space Industries. The Transporter series has significantly impacted the small satellite industry, offering competitive pricing but raising concerns among small launch companies about market sustainability for small launchers.
🔥 Arkadia Space reaches orbit for the first time
Arkadia Space successfully tested its hydrogen peroxide-based propulsion engine in space aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 mission. This milestone marks Europe's first validation of green propulsion technology, offering a non-toxic, high-performance alternative for satellite manufacturers.
🚀 iSpace secures funding, targets December rocket launch
Chinese company iSpace raised $13.8M Series D funding to develop its Hyperbola-3 reusable rocket. The funds will support R&D and construction of engine production facilities in Sichuan (China). iSpace aims for a first orbital launch with sea recovery in December and a reuse test flight in June 2026.
A bit ambitious (perhaps?) but let’s wait and see.
🌕 Thales Alenia Space to develop Moonlight space segment
Thales Alenia Space will develop the space segment of ESA's Moonlight program, a lunar satellite constellation for advanced communications and navigation. Led by Telespazio, the program aims to support precise moon landings and high-speed data transfer between Earth and the Moon. Thales Alenia Space will design and deploy four lunar navigation satellites and key Earth mission elements.
🔍 What caught your eye this week? I cover the biggest stories, but there’s always more happening. Reply and let me know what space news you found most interesting or what I should cover next!
Space Jobs Spotlight 🔍
Curated roles to accelerate your career in Europe’s thriving space sector.
🚀 Internships & Graduates
Operations Intern — Space Applications
💼 Space Jobs
Operations Engineer — VisionSpace
Flight Engineer — D-Orbit
Monopropellant Propulsion Engineer — Arkadia Space
Product Assurance Engineer — D-Orbit
Manufacturing Engineer — PLD Space
Program Manager — Exotrail
Space Debris Mitigation Engineer — Thales Alenia Space
Power Systems Engineer — Isar Aerospace
Space Sustainability Engineer — Telesat
Brand Marketing Lead — ispace
Head of Marketing — Space Inventor
🎓 PhD Opportunities
PhD on AI for Space — Interested?
🔥 Special Opportunitie
ESA Academy Sponsorship — ESA
SP2ARK — Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
This week was all about rockets… what do you think?
💡 Looking for a new job? I do more than just share listings. I can help you stand out. If you want a fresh set of eyes on your resume: click here.
Isar Aerospace is about to make history
Isar Aerospace is having its moment in the spotlight... or will soon have it. The German rocket company has (finally) received a Launch Operator License from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (also known as NCAA, or the Norwegian FAA, for that matter), giving them the go-ahead for its first test flight from Andøya Spaceport (yes, that’s in Norway).
This is very good news. We are days away from (hopefully) finally having a private European company reaching orbit. For the first time. Finally.
But beyond the excitement, let’s not forget that the market doesn’t show much compassion so: can Isar Aerospace genuinely compete in the global launch market? And that is mainly competing with SpaceX and RocketLab.
Isar Aerospace: a formidable contender?
It’s no surprise that Isar Aerospace isn’t aiming to go head-to-head with SpaceX. Instead, they’re carving out a niche in the European market, offering independent (and hopefully reliable, we’ll see soon) access to space beyond the traditional players like Ariane and Avio.
At the heart of this effort is Spectrum, Isar’s two-stage, liquid-fueled small satellite launcher. Designed to carry up to 1,000 kg to LEO, Spectrum targets the growing demand for dedicated smallsat launches: offering an alternative to rideshare missions on Falcon 9. Powered by Aquila engines running on a mix of propane and liquid oxygen (yes, similar to Rocket Lab’s Rutherford engines), Spectrum is built for efficiency, rapid production, and cost-effectiveness.
The "Going Full Spectrum" mission (that’s it’s name, haha) is a critical step toward proving that vision. If successful, Spectrum will become the first privately developed European rocket to reach orbit. And that’s no small feat.
Can Spectrum Find Its Market?
While Spectrum could fill an important gap in Europe, the global launch market has evolved significantly. Dedicated smallsat launches aren’t the only option anymore: SpaceX’s Transporter rideshare missions offer incredibly low-cost access to orbit and make it really difficult for smaller launchers to compete on price.
Rocket Lab provides a useful case study. Despite initially focusing on small payloads with Electron, they’ve since expanded into spacecraft manufacturing, satellite buses, and are now developing the Neutron medium-lift rocket. It makes you think that launching rockets alone risks not being a sustainable business.
For Isar Aerospace, the first launch is just the beginning. While Spectrum will be a major milestone, their long-term strategy (not known yet, whether that’s scaling up, diversifying into satellite services, or developing reusability) will determine how competitive they can really be. For now, all eyes are on Andøya.
Europe may be late to the private launch game but if Spectrum succeeds, it’ll be one step closer to closing the gap.
Let’s hope for a smooth countdown.
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See you next week.
Jaime