TAMPA, Fla. — Japanese microgravity services startup ElevationSpace has become the first customer in Asia for Germany’s Isar Aerospace, which now only needs a launch license to debut its two-stage Spectrum rocket after clearing tests.
ElevationSpace said March 3 it has booked a second-half 2026 launch with Isar Aerospace for AOBA, a 200-kilogram spacecraft designed to test a recoverable platform for space-based experiments and manufacturing.
The venture cited Isar Aerospace’s direct injection capability into low Earth orbit (LEO) and flexible launch scheduling as key factors in its decision to sign the contract.
Isar Aerospace said last month that Spectrum, designed to deliver up to 1,000 kilograms to LEO, has completed static-fire testing and is prepared for its first flight from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway, pending final regulatory approval. The company still needs a launch license from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority.
The rocket developer has previously outlined plans for Spectrum’s first two missions to carry European payloads selected through a competition run by the German space agency DLR.
Five institutions from Germany, Norway and Slovenia were picked to launch seven small satellites on Spectrum’s inaugural mission. The second mission would deploy 19 spacecraft from six institutional groups and four businesses across Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Spain.
Both missions would carry about 150 kilograms of payload, including satellites and deployers, to polar orbits.
Isar Aerospace has also announced launch contracts with companies including Airbus, Spaceflight, Exotrail and D-Orbit.
