Isar Aerospace, a German startup founded in 2018 by three Technical University of Munich students, launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport in Arctic Norway on Saturday. The two-stage, 92-foot rocket reached low-Earth orbit about seven minutes after liftoff, marking the first fully commercial European launch vehicle to do so. CEO Daniel Metzler called it a milestone giving Europe independent access to space.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-06
German startup Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from the Andoya spaceport in Arctic Norway, marking the first orbital launch from Western European soil. The mission, carrying five small satellites and a technology experiment, served as both a vehicle qualification test and the company's first payload flight, following a failed attempt 18 months earlier.
science.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-06
SpaceX is pursuing exemptions from federal environmental rules to speed construction of what would become the largest spaceport in the world. Wildlife advocacy organizations are pushing back, arguing the waivers would bypass protections meant to safeguard sensitive habitats and species near the site.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-08-26
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced that SpaceX will invest up to $100 billion to construct a large-scale Starship manufacturing and launch complex along the state's Gulf coast, near Abbeville. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell described the site as a self-sufficient spaceport featuring propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping, vehicle processing, and its own airport.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-08-25
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