German launch services provider Isar Aerospace appears to have scrubbed a planned 4 September attempt to conduct the second flight of its Spectrum rocket. The company called off the attempt several hours after launch-related road closures came into effect.
At 10:39 CEST on 4 September, Nordland Police announced that land and maritime traffic restrictions around the Andøya Spaceport had been activated in connection with what it described as a “planned rocket launch.” The land restriction, which includes road closures, was due to remain in force from midday until midnight. However, at 14:25 CEST, police issued a further update stating that the traffic ban around Andøya Spaceport had been lifted. With the road closure being lifted, no attempt to launch Spectrum will be made today.
Isar Aerospace has yet to publicly comment on the scrub or, for that matter, the attempt itself. The company has also not publicly acknowledged the broader approved launch window, which will remain open until 10 September. Unlike the several previous attempts to conduct Spectrum’s second flight, the company has so far provided no public updates on this latest campaign.
While no official reason has been given, weather may have played a role. Conditions around Andøya had been windy, with observations from nearby Andøya Airport recording winds of around 24 knots. Isar Aerospace has previously postponed Spectrum launch attempts due to unfavourable weather.
An initial attempt to launch the mission in January was ultimately called off due to a pressurisation valve issue. The March attempt was first delayed by poor weather and later scrubbed after an unauthorised boat entered the exclusion zone. The next attempt, in April, was halted because of a leak in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel. Most recently, in June, the company once again called off an attempt, this time after detecting off-nominal behaviour in the rocket’s fluid systems.
