WASHINGTON — A Norwegian spaceport is a step closer to hosting the first orbital launch for Isar Aerospace after receiving a government license.
Andøya Spaceport announced Aug. 22 that it received a license from Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries that allows it to conduct launches from the site, located on the island of Andøya north of the Arctic Circle.
The spaceport will be the initial launch site for Isar Aerospace, the German company developing the Spectrum small launch vehicle. The spaceport formally marked completion of the pad that Spectrum will launch from last November.
“There is a huge team effort behind the work to get this license in place. Ever since 2018, our team has been building the foundation that now enables launch of satellites from Norwegian soil,” said Lasse Berg, interim president of Andøya Spaceport, in a statement.
According to a statement from the Norwegian ministry, the license allows the spaceport to conduct up to 30 launches a year, including four during overnight hours. Those launches, to be overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway, can take place on azimuths between 280 and 360 degrees, supporting missions primarily to polar and sun-synchronous orbits.
“The first satellite launch from Andøya will be a historic moment for Norway as a space nation. Norway will have a capacity that few other countries have, and which will be of great use not only for Norway, but also for our allies and partners in the EU and NATO,” Cecilie Myrseth, the country’s industry minister, said in a translated statement.
Andøya Spaceport said that with its license now in hand, Isar Aerospace will be able to proceed with final tests of its vehicle, including hotfire tests of the stages, before a first launch. The spaceport did not provide a schedule for those tests or when it anticipated a first launch.
Isar Aerospace, which raised 65 million euros ($72 million) in June in an extension of a Series C round led by the NATO Innovation Fund, has also provided few schedule specifics. “Depending on the outcome of the first and second stage tests, we will approach our first test flight as soon as possible,” a company spokesperson told SpaceNews Aug. 22. The company offered a similar comment after the funding round in June.
Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries noted in its statement that Isar Aerospace will need its own launch license separate from the spaceport license, and that the Civil Aviation Authority was currently reviewing the company’s license application. It added that the first launch is planned for some time this year.
If that schedule holds, Isar Aerospace could become the first of a group of European startups to at least attempt an orbital launch. Rocket Factory Augsburg was in line to do so as soon as September, but the company lost its first stage in a static-fire mishap at SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands Aug. 19.
