Germany’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Robert Hebeck said that “unobstructed access to space is strategically important.”
“The first launch of ISAR Aerospace’s Spectrum Rocket has impressively demonstrated that Germany is an important place for the development of innovative space technology,” says Habeck I wrote it on LinkedIn. “The first flight provided important data and experience for the next flight of the rocket… ISAR Aerospace Space can make a critical contribution to ensuring independent access to European space!”
The Spectrum Rocket is the largest launch vehicle built primarily in Germany, replacing the V-2 missiles from World War II.
Over the past few months, European government officials have emphasized their desire to break away from relying on other countries for defense and space technology. Europe was a long-time customer of the Russian Soyuz rocket, but the partnership ended in 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The delay in the debut of the Arian 6 rocket and the failure by the smaller Vega rockets forced the European government to sign a contract with SpaceX to launch several scientific and security-related satellites.
Daniel Metzler, co-founder and CEO of Isar Aerospace, spoke at an event held in Munich on January 12th, 2024.
Credit: Matthias Balk/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
ISAR CEO Metzler was asked last year what he thought would make the first flight of the spectrum a successful one.
“For me, if you don’t blow up the launch site, your first flight will be a success,” he said. Handelsblatt Innovation Conference. “It’s probably what sets us backwards the most in terms of technology and time.”
This suppression of expectations sounds very similar to the statement made by Elon Musk about the first flight of SpaceX’s spacecraft rocket in 2023.
On this scale, ISAR officials can be satisfied with the results on Sunday. The company models testing strategies for SpaceX’s iterative development cycle. There, engineers test early, make corrections, and fly again. This is in stark contrast to the way Europe traditionally developed rockets. An alternative to the ISAR approach is to “expend 15 years of researching, simulating and getting it right for the first time.”
With the first launch of Spectrum, ISAR tested the rocket. Now, it’s time to make some corrections and fly again. ISAR leaders argue that it will be a real measure of success.
“We are very happy,” Metzler said at a press conference after the flight on Sunday. “It’s a time when people are proud, and, frankly, for Europe.”
