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Isar Aerospace

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Develops and operates the Spectrum liquid-fueled launch vehicle for small and medium-sized satellite missions from European spaceports.

Key Facts

Founded 2018
HQ Vaterstetten, Bavaria, DEU
Funding Series C
Employees 201-500

Description

Isar Aerospace designs, manufactures, and operates Spectrum, a two-stage liquid-propelled launch vehicle delivering up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit and approximately 700 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit. The vehicle stands 28 meters tall and uses nine first-stage Aquila engines and one vacuum-optimized second-stage engine burning liquid oxygen and liquid propane. Spectrum incorporates type-five carbon composite tanks and additively manufactured metal engine components produced through automated processes. The company launches from Andøya Spaceport in Norway under a long-term exclusive agreement and holds a binding term sheet for the Diamant launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.

Isar Aerospace maintains vertical integration, manufacturing the majority of vehicle components at its headquarters facility in Ottobrunn, Bavaria, near Munich, with a new 40,000-square-meter production site operational in 2026. The company conducted its maiden flight in March 2025 from Andøya and is preparing a qualification flight carrying commercial and educational cubesat payloads. Isar serves commercial satellite operators, government agencies, and research institutions, with significant support from the European Space Agency's Boost program and the German Aerospace Center. Founded in 2018, the company operates as a private entity with approximately 400 employees.

Sectors

Access to Space Launch Services primary
Satellites & Platforms Satellite Manufacturing
Satellites & Platforms Space Propulsion
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