Isar Aerospace, a European private space launch provider, is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket on the “Onward and Upward” mission from Andoya Spaceport in Norway on Saturday, September 5 at 20:00 UTC. This attempt follows months of delays and aborted launch attempts after the first flight failed in March 2025.
The “Onward and Upward” mission aims to qualify the launch vehicle under operational conditions and will carry five cubesats and one experiment to a Sun-synchronous orbit. The original launch date was January 21, but was scrubbed due to a faulty pressurization valve. Subsequent attempts in March and April were also cancelled due to weather, range safety issues, engine fuel temperatures, and a suspected leak in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel. A June attempt was delayed due to issues with the rocket’s fluid systems, and the company was not ready for a launch in August.
Spectrum’s first flight, “Going Full Spectrum,” failed 30 seconds after launch when the rocket lost attitude control during a pitch-over maneuver. An investigation revealed a vent valve unexpectedly opened at T+25 seconds, triggering a flight termination command at T+30 seconds which caused the rocket to fall into the sea. Following the failure, Isar Aerospace upgraded Spectrum’s software and increased vehicle margins. The vehicle for “Onward and Upward” successfully completed integrated static fire tests of both stages last year.
The Spectrum rocket is 28 meters tall and two meters in diameter, capable of carrying 700 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit or 1,000 kg to low-Earth orbit from Kourou, French Guiana. Its first stage utilizes nine Aquila engines powered by propane and liquid oxygen, while the second stage uses a single vacuum-optimized Aquila engine with the same propellants. Propane is noted as a clean-burning fuel offering higher specific impulse than other carbon-based fuels. The second stage is designed for multiple in-flight restarts, eliminating the need for a kick stage.
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