Norway has officially opened what it calls the “first operational spaceport in continental Europe.” Andoya Spaceport was inaugurated on 2 November by Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon.
The new spaceport is located in Nordmela on the Norwegian Island of Andoya. Although the spaceport will eventually include several launch pads, just one has been completed to date. The pad has been secured for exclusive use by Germany’s Isar Aerospace, which plans to use the pad to launch the maiden flight of its two-stage Spectrum rocket.
Both Andoya Space and Isar asserted in a joint press release that the inauguration of the spaceport represented the opening of the first operational spaceport in continental Europe. This fact is arguable. The spaceport will technically not be operational until the first flight of Spectrum. Additionally, Esrange in Sweden inaugurated what it called “mainland EU’s first orbital launch site” in January. However, Esrange currently doesn’t have a single provider interested in launching orbital missions from the facility. Even so, until a launch actually occurs from Andoya, the claim that it’s the “first operational spaceport in continental Europe” is debatable.
Isar is currently working towards integrated stage testing on its Spectrum rocket. In late October, the company revealed that it had completed a 260-second hot fire test of one of its Aquila rocket engines, which is longer than the engine will be fired during an actual flight. This long-duration test firing represents a significant milestone for the company.
To date, Isar has raised more than €300 million in funding. The company’s most recent funding efforts saw it raise €155 million in Series C funding in March.
Earlier this year, Isar stated that it would be targeting a maiden flight of Spectrum in the second half of 2023. However, as the year comes to a close, it looks like an early 2024 debut may be more likely.
