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STARTUP OF THE YEAR: Isar Aerospace
Europe is in the midst of what officials there openly call a “launcher crisis.” A combination of development problems, launch failures and geopolitical complications have temporarily deprived Europe of the ability to launch its own satellites. The Ariane 6, once planned to enter service in 2020, has been pushed back to 2024, after the retirement of the Ariane 5. The Vega C small launch vehicle has been grounded since a December 2022 launch failure and won’t return to service until late 2024. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year deprived Europe of access to the Soyuz rocket, which had backstopped both Ariane and Vega.
Amid the current problems, though, are signs of hope for the future. Several startups across the continent are working on small launch vehicles, developed with only modest government support. Those vehicles, expected to begin launches in 2024, will offer Europe both new ways to get to orbit and new solutions for its launcher crisis.
One of the companies at the vanguard of that effort is Isar Aerospace. Named for the river that flows through its home city of Munich, the company is nearing the first launch of its Spectrum rocket, designed to place up to one ton of payload into orbit. The company has been performing acceptance testing of…
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