Isar Aerospace Attempts Historic First Orbital Launch From European Soil With Spectrum Rocket

German launch startup Isar Aerospace targets March 23 for the second flight of its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport, Norway, aiming to become the first vehicle to reach orbit from European soil. The 28m, two-stage vehicle with ten engines will carry five ESA 'Boost!' program cubesats and one non-separable experiment. The first test flight ten months ago flew for 30 seconds, proving liftoff capability. Success would break Europe's dependence on Ariane and imported launch services for small payloads.