Space: A remarkable achievement

Until this weekend, none of the roughly 16,000 satellites orbiting Earth had been launched into space by a German rocket. Germany now has one in orbit, after startup Isar Aerospace successfully flew its Spectrum rocket.

The company launched the rocket shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday from a small spaceport in northern Norway. Unlike its first attempt, which crashed in March 2025, Spectrum flew into orbit and deployed six small satellites.

The success makes Germany the 13th country in the world able to reach orbit independently. For a country long associated with engineering, the achievement marks a new place in the space sector and gives Germany its own orbital launch capability.

The result does not erase the limits and risks surrounding the new rocket, questions the article raises while examining why the launch carries strategic importance for Germany and Europe. But for Isar Aerospace, the failed first flight has now been followed by a successful orbital mission.