Isar Aerospace aborted the second test flight of its German Spectrum carrier rocket on Wednesday evening shortly before launch from Andøya spaceport in Norway. The countdown stopped unexpectedly just seconds before the planned engine ignition. The exact reasons remain initially unclear.
The „Onward and Upward“ mission was set to be the first launch of the Spectrum rocket carrying several small satellites. The attempt took place on March 25, 2026, around 9:21 p.m. local time but was halted about 20 minutes after the countdown ended. A live broadcast showed a boat detected in the safety zone around the coastal launch site, possibly contributing to the abort. Isar Aerospace chief engineer Nikolaos Perakis stated in the livestream that all rocket systems were in the green and the cause was now being investigated. The abort decision likely came from the computer, as CEO Daniel Metzler had told Handelsblatt: „With the launch in the last seconds of the countdown, the rocket takes full control of the launchpad.“ Ahead of the launch, Metzler said: „We want to show significant progress.“ The start had been delayed multiple times previously due to unfavorable weather. Isar Aerospace, based in Ottobrunn near Munich and founded in 2018, has raised over 500 million euros. The two-stage, 28-meter-high Spectrum rocket with ten engines is designed to deliver payloads of up to 1000 kilograms to low Earth orbits. During the first test in March 2025, the rocket lifted off from Andøya but crashed into the sea after 30 seconds. That was the first orbital rocket launch in continental Europe outside Russia. VC investor Nico Rosberg commented: „Even at SpaceX, launch aborts were part of the path to space. The rocket is ready, the technology is there, the next attempt is coming.“ Former ESA head Jan Wörner emphasized the importance of European sovereignty in spaceflight.