Space & Satellites
Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum Rocket Crash: Europe’s Space Setback
Isar Aerospace’s failed Spectrum rocket launch highlights Europe’s push for space independence amid technical challenges and geopolitical shifts.
The European space industry held its breath on March 30, 2025, as Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket lifted off from Norway’s Andøya Spaceport. This maiden flight represented more than just a technical demonstration – it symbolized Europe’s accelerating push for space independence amid shifting geopolitical realities. While the 30-second flight ended in a maritime crash, the event provides critical insights into both private spaceflight challenges and continental ambitions.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine severed access to Soyuz rockets, European nations have doubled down on developing domestic launch capabilities. Startups like Germany’s Isar Aerospace have emerged as key players in this “New Space” movement, leveraging private funding to challenge traditional government-led programs. The Spectrum rocket’s partial success despite its premature demise reveals both the promise and growing pains of this strategic shift.
The 28-meter rocket’s flight trajectory tells a story of rapid escalation. Telemetry data reveals the vector control system began overcorrecting steering inputs at T+18 seconds, creating destabilizing oscillations. By T+30 seconds, engineers triggered the Flight Termination System as the rocket veered dangerously off-course. Preliminary analysis suggests a propulsion system malfunction – potentially involving fuel slosh dynamics in the liquid oxygen/propane mixture feeding the Aquila engines.
This failure mode highlights the razor-thin margins in rocket design. Each of the nine first-stage engines must maintain precise thrust vectoring while burning cryogenic propellants at -180°C. The company’s decision to use propane rather than kerosene – while offering cost and efficiency benefits – introduced novel engineering challenges that may have contributed to the instability.
Despite the crash, the test validated critical systems. The autonomous flight termination mechanism performed flawlessly, destroying the vehicle before it endangered populated areas. Ground systems at Andøya Spaceport also demonstrated readiness, handling the complex fueling operations required for the innovative propellant combination.
“Our first test flight met all our expectations in terms of data collection,” said CEO Daniel Metzler. “We validated our core systems and gathered enough information to accelerate development.”
The Spectrum’s partial success comes amid broader European space struggles. While Ariane 6 finally achieved its maiden flight in March 2025 after four years of delays, its €4 billion development cost contrasts sharply with Isar Aerospace’s €400 million private funding. This public-private tension defines Europe’s space strategy, with startups offering agile development cycles versus established players’ proven reliability.
Germany has emerged as a New Space hub, hosting three competing launch startups. Isar Aerospace’s Munich facility aims to produce 40 rockets annually – capacity that could absorb 20% of Europe’s projected small satellite demand. However, the March 30 failure underscores the sector’s fragility. As ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher noted: “Rocket launch is hard. Never give up, move forward with even more energy!” The NATO Innovation Fund’s investment in Isar Aerospace reveals growing defense interest in responsive launch capabilities. With Russia demonstrating anti-satellite weapons and China space militar space militarization, reliable access to orbit has become a NATO priority. Spectrum-class rockets could eventually deploy reconnaissance constellations or rapid-replacement satellites during conflicts.
Engineers are focusing on three key areas: thrust vector control algorithms, propellant feed system stability, and combustion chamber dynamics. The team plans to implement hardware changes on the second Spectrum prototype already in production, including revised gimbal actuators and additional vibration dampeners. Parallel testing continues at their Taufkirchen propulsion test site, where individual Aquila engines have completed over 200 firings.
The company maintains an aggressive schedule, targeting Q4 2025 for their next launch attempt. This timeline depends on implementing lessons from the failed flight while expanding production capacity. Their new Munich factory features automated composite winding machines capable of producing a rocket tank every 48 hours – critical for achieving cost targets below $10,000/kg to orbit.
Europe’s small launch market remains fiercely contested. French rival MaiaSpace plans its first microlauncher flight in 2026, while Rocket Factory Augsburg tests a 30-engine first stage. Isar’s early failure gives competitors valuable insights, but also demonstrates the sector’s technical hurdles. Industry analysts note that SpaceX endured three Falcon 1 failures before achieving orbit – a path European startups may need to replicate.
The commercial stakes are immense. Euroconsult projects 24,000 small satellites needing launches by 2030 – a $42 billion market. Isar’s ability to capture this demand depends on achieving weekly launches from both Andøya and the Guiana Space Centre. Their hybrid propulsion system offers potential reusability advantages, though this remains unproven.
“This test proves Europe’s private sector can compete in the New Space race,” said ESA’s Aschbacher. “Setbacks are inevitable, but the momentum is irreversible.”
The Spectrum rocket’s abbreviated flight encapsulates both the promise and perils of Europe’s space ambitions. While technical failures remind us of orbital access complexities, the rapid iteration demonstrated by Isar Aerospace suggests a new paradigm emerging. Private European ventures are now complementing – and potentially surpassing – traditional government programs in both pace and innovation.
Looking ahead, the coming year will prove decisive. Successful return-to-flight operations could establish Isar Aerospace as Europe’s SpaceX equivalent, while further setbacks might consolidate the continent’s launch market around fewer players. As global tensions elevate space infrastructure’s strategic importance, Europe’s ability to field reliable, responsive launch systems will impact both its economic competitiveness and military readiness.
What caused the Spectrum rocket to crash? How does this failure impact Europe’s space ambitions? When will Isar Aerospace attempt another launch? Sources:
Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum Rocket: Analyzing a High-Stakes Launch Failure
Technical Breakdown of the Anomaly
European Space Ambitions Under the Microscope
Path Forward for Isar Aerospace
Technical Adjustments and Next Steps
Market Implications and Competition
Conclusion
FAQ
Preliminary data indicates a thrust vector control anomaly leading to loss of stability, potentially linked to propulsion system dynamics with its liquid oxygen/propane engines.
While a setback, the test provided valuable data. Europe continues pursuing multiple launch solutions through both private companies like Isar Aerospace and ESA’s Ariane 6 program.
The company aims for a second Spectrum launch attempt in late 2025, pending modifications based on current failure analysis.
European Spaceflight,
AeroTime,
NBC Right Now
Photo Credit: thetimes.com
Space & Satellites
Vast Space Selected by NASA for Sixth Private Astronaut Mission to ISS
NASA selects Vast Space for the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS, focusing on science with a launch planned for summer 2027.
This article is based on an official press release from Vast Space.
NASA has officially selected Vast Space to conduct the sixth private astronaut mission (PAM-6) to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, targeted for launch no earlier than summer 2027, marks a significant expansion in the commercial landscape of Low Earth Orbit (LEO). According to the announcement from the Long Beach-based aerospace company, this selection positions Vast as a key player in NASA’s strategy to transition from government-led operations to a commercial space economy.
The mission will utilize a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a Dragon spacecraft to transport four private astronauts to the orbiting laboratory. While the specific crew members have not yet been named, Vast confirmed that the mission will focus heavily on science and research, distinguishing it from purely tourism-focused endeavors. This contract award represents a major milestone for Vast, which was founded in 2021 and is simultaneously developing its own commercial space station, Haven-1.
Under the terms of the agreement, the PAM-6 mission is designed to spend up to 14 days docked at the ISS. Vast stated in their press release that the primary objective is to conduct a broad range of experiments, including biology, biotechnology, physical sciences, and human research. This focus aligns with NASA’s requirement that private missions contribute to the utilization of the ISS’s research capabilities.
Vast will be responsible for the end-to-end mission management, including crew selection, training, and mission execution, subject to rigorous approval by NASA and its international partners. The company emphasized that this operational experience is critical for their long-term goals.
“Leveraging the remaining life of the International Space Station with science and research-led commercial crewed missions is a critical part of the transition to commercial space stations and fully unlocking the orbital economy.”
, Max Haot, CEO of Vast
The summer 2027 target date places PAM-6 in a busy operational window for the company. According to company timelines, Vast intends to launch its own single-module space station, Haven-1, in the first quarter of 2027. If these schedules hold, Vast could be managing two separate human spaceflight programs, one to the ISS and one to its own outpost, within the same calendar year.
Vast views the PAM-6 mission as more than just a flight to the ISS; it is an operational pathfinder for their future independent stations. By managing a crewed mission to the ISS, the company aims to refine the logistics, training protocols, and safety procedures required to operate Haven-1 and its planned successor, Haven-2. According to industry data, Vast successfully launched a “Haven Demo” pathfinder spacecraft in November 2025 aboard a SpaceX rideshare mission. That demonstration validated critical subsystems such as avionics and propulsion, likely contributing to NASA’s confidence in awarding the PAM-6 contract.
Dana Weigel, NASA’s ISS Program Manager, highlighted the agency’s goal of fostering a robust commercial market through these missions.
“By hosting private astronaut missions, the station helps accelerate innovation, opens new commercial pathways, and advances research strengthening the foundation of a thriving space economy.”
, Dana Weigel, NASA ISS Program Manager
The selection of Vast for PAM-6 signals a notable shift in the private astronaut market, which has previously been dominated by Axiom Space. Axiom operated the first four private missions to the ISS (Ax-1 through Ax-4) and holds the contract for Ax-5. By selecting a second provider, NASA appears to be actively encouraging competition and reducing reliance on a single vendor for commercial access to the station.
Furthermore, this “dual-track” strategy, where Vast pursues both ISS missions and its own station simultaneously, is aggressive. It suggests that the company is positioning itself not just as a participant in the current ISS program, but as a leading contender for the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program that will eventually replace the ISS around 2030.
When will the mission launch? Who will be on board? What spacecraft will be used? How does this relate to Haven-1?
Vast Space Selected by NASA for Sixth Private Astronaut Mission to ISS
Mission Profile and Objectives
Operational Timeline
Strategic Context: The Road to Haven
AirPro News analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
The mission is targeted for launch no earlier than summer 2027.
Vast will select four crew members. Their names have not been announced, but they will undergo NASA and international partner approval.
The mission will use a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Vast plans to launch its own station, Haven-1, in early 2027. The ISS mission (PAM-6) serves as an operational experience builder and risk-reduction exercise for the company’s long-term habitation goals.
Sources
Photo Credit: Vast
Space & Satellites
Hypersonix Announces Launch Window for Cassowary Vex Hypersonic Mission
Hypersonix sets launch window for Cassowary Vex mission in Feb 2026 to test 3D-printed hydrogen scramjet at Mach 7 from MARS, Virginia.
Australian aerospace manufacturer Hypersonix Launch Systems has officially announced the launch window for the first flight of its DART AE (Additive Engineering) hypersonic vehicle. According to the company, the mission, codenamed “Cassowary Vex”, is scheduled to launch no earlier than late February 2026 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, Virginia.
This upcoming flight marks a significant milestone in the development of reusable hypersonic technologies. The mission will utilize a Rocket Lab HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) vehicle to boost the DART AE to its initial release speed. The primary objective is to validate the performance of the SPARTAN scramjet engine, a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system that is entirely 3D-printed.
The mission is being conducted in partnership with the United States Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), highlighting the deepening defense technology collaboration between the U.S. and Australia under the HyCAT (Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities) program.
The mission profile, detailed in recent industry reports, involves a complex sequence of events designed to test the limits of autonomous hypersonic flight. The launch vehicle, Rocket Lab’s HASTE, will lift the 3.5-meter DART AE to the upper atmosphere. Once the booster accelerates the payload to approximately Mach 5, the DART AE will separate and ignite its own engine.
According to mission specifications released by Hypersonix, the vehicle will then accelerate under its own power to a target speed of Mach 7 (approximately 8,600 km/h). The flight aims to demonstrate non-ballistic, reusable flight characteristics, distinguishing it from traditional missile tests.
The launch is set to take place at Launch Complex 2 at MARS. While the window opens in late February, Hypersonix has stated that the exact timing will be confirmed 24 hours prior to liftoff. The mission name, “Cassowary Vex,” references the flightless Australian bird, while the launch service itself has been humorously dubbed “That’s Not A Knife,” a cultural nod to the film Crocodile Dundee.
The core technology under review during this mission is the SPARTAN scramjet engine. Unlike many competitors that utilize kerosene-based fuels, the SPARTAN engine runs on green hydrogen. Hypersonix claims this fuel choice offers a higher specific impulse, resulting in greater efficiency and a clean burn that produces only water vapor. The “AE” in the vehicle’s name stands for Additive Engineering. The entire airframe and engine are constructed using high-temperature alloys, such as Inconel, capable of withstanding temperatures exceeding 1,000°C. The engine features a fixed-geometry design with no moving parts, a feature intended to increase reliability while reducing manufacturing costs.
In a statement regarding the engineering effort, Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill emphasized the collaborative nature of the project:
“This flight reflects years of engineering work and the confidence of our partners at DIU, NASA, and Rocket Lab. It brings us a meaningful step closer to operational hypersonic systems that are reusable, sustainable, and strategically relevant for Australia and for our allies.”
The “Cassowary Vex” mission arrives during a period of intense activity within the hypersonic sector. The flight is part of the DIU’s HyCAT program, which selected Hypersonix to provide a testbed capable of high-cadence testing for U.S. defense technologies.
Recent industry data places Hypersonix alongside other key players in the reusable hypersonic race. For instance, Stratolaunch successfully recovered its Talon-A2 vehicle in March 2025 after a Mach 5+ flight, and Hermeus completed the first flight of its Quarterhorse Mk 1 in May 2025. However, Hypersonix distinguishes itself by demonstrating a ground-launch capability via a rocket booster, rather than an air-launch system.
Dr. Michael Smart, Co-Founder and CTO of Hypersonix, noted the importance of real-world testing:
“DART AE allows us to validate propulsion, materials, and control systems at speeds and temperatures that simply can’t be replicated on the ground. What we learn from this mission will directly inform the next generation of operational hypersonic vehicles.”
The decision to utilize green hydrogen for the SPARTAN scramjet represents a calculated risk with potentially high rewards. While hydrogen offers superior energy density by weight compared to hydrocarbon fuels, it presents storage and volumetric challenges. If the “Cassowary Vex” mission successfully demonstrates sustained Mach 7 flight using this fuel source, it could validate hydrogen as a viable fuel for future high-speed logistics and defense platforms, moving the industry away from heavier, dirtier hydrocarbon alternatives.
Furthermore, the reliance on additive manufacturing (3D printing) for the entire airframe suggests a shift toward rapid scalability. Traditional aerospace manufacturing is often slow and tooling-intensive. By printing the vehicle from high-temperature alloys, Hypersonix is attempting to prove that hypersonic vehicles can be produced quickly and at a lower cost, a critical requirement for the “high-cadence” testing sought by the US Defense Innovation Unit.
Hypersonix’s development has been supported by significant capital investment. The company recently closed a $46 million Series A funding round. Investors include the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, the Queensland Investment Corporation, High Tor Capital (UK), and Saab (Sweden). This diverse backing underscores the international interest in the DART AE platform.
Hypersonix Sets Launch Window for Maiden “Cassowary Vex” Hypersonic Mission
Mission Profile: “Cassowary Vex”
Launch Logistics
Technology Spotlight: The SPARTAN Scramjet
Strategic Context and Market Landscape
AirPro News analysis
Financial Backing
Sources
Photo Credit: Hypersonix Launch Systems
Space & Satellites
NASA SpaceX Crew-12 Launches for Eight-Month ISS Mission
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 launched from Cape Canaveral with an international crew for an eight-month ISS mission focusing on medical research and tech demonstrations.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission successfully lifted off early Friday morning, marking the beginning of an eight-month scientific expedition aboard the International Space Station (ISS). According to official reports from the space agency, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched at 5:15 a.m. EST on February 13, 2026, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The mission carries a diverse international crew of four, including two NASA astronauts, one European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, and one Roscosmos cosmonaut. The crew is traveling aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named Freedom, which successfully separated from the rocket’s second stage and achieved orbit shortly after launch. NASA confirms the spacecraft is currently executing a series of engine burns to rendezvous with the orbiting laboratory, with docking scheduled for approximately 3:15 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 14.
The Crew-12 team comprises a mix of veteran spacefarers and first-time flyers who will join Expedition 74 aboard the ISS. NASA officials highlighted the specific roles and backgrounds of the four crew members:
During their eight-month stay, the crew will conduct hundreds of experiments designed to prepare humanity for future deep-space exploration, including missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA has outlined several critical research areas for this mission.
A primary focus of the mission involves understanding how the space environment affects human health. One key study will investigate how Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria interact with heart tissue in microgravity. According to mission documentation, bacteria can become more virulent in space, and researchers aim to identify the mechanisms behind potential long-term heart damage caused by respiratory infections.
Additionally, the crew will study fluid shifts and blood flow. This research examines how physical characteristics influence clotting risks during spaceflight, a vital dataset for mitigating health risks on long-duration missions.
The crew is also tasked with testing new life-support technologies. NASA highlights a system designed to generate intravenous (IV) fluids directly from the station’s water supply. This capability is considered critical for future Mars missions, where the logistical burden of carrying large supplies of pre-packaged medical fluids would be impractical.
The launch of Crew-12 represents a continued effort to expand the operational redundancy of commercial spaceflight infrastructure. This mission is only the second human spaceflight to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40). Historically used for cargo and satellite missions, SpaceX upgraded the pad to support crewed launches, providing a backup to the primary pad at Launch Complex 39A. The hardware for this mission also highlights the reusability central to the Commercial Crew Program. The Dragon capsule Freedom is making its return to space, having previously supported the Crew-4, Ax-2, Ax-3, and Crew-9 missions.
The successful utilization of SLC-40 for Crew-12 underscores a maturing commercial space ecosystem. By validating a second launch pad for human missions, NASA and SpaceX have effectively mitigated the risk of single-point ground infrastructure failure. This redundancy is essential for maintaining a continuous human presence on the ISS, especially as the station approaches its final years of operation and traffic to low-Earth orbit increases.
Furthermore, the inclusion of an ESA rookie alongside seasoned NASA and Roscosmos veterans illustrates the continued reliance on the ISS as a diplomatic and cooperative platform. Despite geopolitical tensions on Earth, the integrated crew operations required for Expedition 74 demonstrate that space remains a unique venue for international collaboration.
Crew Profile and Mission Roles
Scientific Objectives for Expedition 74
Medical and Biological Research
Technology Demonstrations
Launch Infrastructure and Hardware
AirPro News Analysis
Sources
Photo Credit: NASA
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