A rocket must take off for the first time from European soil towards terrestrial orbit on Monday – Liberation
A way for Europe to continue its march towards space and independence. A German start-up hopes to proceed this Monday, March 24, from the Norwegian space base of Andøya, above the Arctic Circle Circle, on Monday, on the test of its Spectrum rocket. Scheduled between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (Paris time) if the weather permits, this takeoff will be the first vertical shot of an orbital vehicle on the European continentoutside Russia. Until now, these launches only concerned suborbital rockets – which do not exceed or not long the limit between the earth’s atmosphere and space, a hundred kilometers of altitude.
Spectrum mini-length might, however, not succeed in reaching terrestrial orbit. “Each second of flight is precious, because it allows us to collect data and gain experience. Thirty seconds of flight would already be a real success ”explains Daniel Metzler, co -founder and boss of Isar Aerospace, the manufacturer of the rocket. “We do not expect to reach the orbit with this test. In reality, no company has yet managed to place its very first orbit orbit launcher. SpaceX (billionaire Elon Musk, editor’s note) needed four attemptsbut we want to go faster ”he added.
“Whatever the result, the launch of Spectrum will mark an important step, since it is the first launch of a European launcher entirely under private responsibility. We fully support this dynamic ”underlines Toni Tolker-Nielsen, director of space transport at the European Space Agency (ESA).
With its 28 meters high for two meters in diameter and a one -ton carrying capacity, this machine is less imposing than other mammoths of the shooting steps. Cheaper, micro and mini-lancers as spectrum, generally developed by private actors, represent a welcome complement for the orbit of miniaturized satellite constellations intended for example for the observation of the land or internet coverage.
Founded in 2018, the Munich start-up Isar Aerospace prides itself on having developed its two-story launcher almost entirely internally. It has already signed a contract with the Norwegian space agency for the orbit by 2028 of two maritime surveillance satellites.
“The rise of these new actors and new European launch services is part of a common goal: to guarantee independent and sovereign access to space. Their role should be strengthened in the years to come ”says Toni Tolker-Nielsen, director of space transport at the European Space Agency (ESA).
Space occupies an important place in the quest for competitiveness of the European Union. Deprived of access to Russian cosmodromes and launchers because of the serious tensions with Moscow, Europe experienced a bad pass because of delays in the development of the Ariane 6 rocket and a suspension of the VEGA-C launcher after an accident. It was not until March 6, with The first commercial flight of an Ariane 6 From Kourou in French Guyana, which she found her space sovereignty after several months without independent access to space.
On a European market that seeks to catch up on the Americans SpaceX and Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos)Isar Aerospace, his compatriots Hyimulse and Rocket Factory Augsburg (FRG), the French Latitude and Maiaspace (Arianegroup’s subsidiary) or the Spanish PLD Space are engaged in a speed race to impose themselves as essential actors in the sector.
At the same time, from Portuguese Azores to the British Shetland via Andøya or Esrange in neighboring Sweden, multiple European projects of space ports take form, often determined to draw the first. Presenting himself as « The first operational space port in continental Europe », The base of Andøya, on its side, is boasting its location in the Arctic, ideal for the launch of polar satellites or heliosynchrones, that is to say that pass over any point on the planet at the same local solar time every day.
