German startup sends first commercial rocket into space from Europe
SMRTR summary
A German startup just made history, launching the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe. Isar Aerospace's uncrewed Spectrum rocket lifted off from Andøya Spaceport in Arctic Norway, carrying five small satellites and marking a defining moment for Europe's push toward independent access to space.
It wasn't a smooth road. Eighteen months ago, Isar's first rocket plunged into the sea and exploded shortly after takeoff from the same site.
But Saturday's success drew praise from the highest levels. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called it "the beginning of a new era." The EU's space commissioner wrote that "Europe's independent access to space just got a major boost."
Isar's CEO Daniel Metzler put it plainly: "Launch capability is right now the biggest bottleneck in the entire industry."
The company already has five more rockets in production and is eyeing a second launch site in Nova Scotia, Canada, with ambitions to reach 40 launches per year.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Hacker News.
Read the original article