Preparations are under way for a rocket test flight in Norway that could make history and give Europe greater independence from the market leader in orbital launches, the United States.

Who is behind the rocket launch?

The company that developed the new rocket, dubbed Spectrum, is German-based Isar Aerospace. Spectrum is 28 metres tall, composed of two stages and uses oxygen and propane as propellant. Isar Aerospace says the aim of the test flight, which will carry no payload, is “to collect as much data and experience as possible”. The company told New Scientist that its staff were all too busy preparing for its test flight for an interview.

Where and when will the launch take place?

The launch will take place at Andøya Space Center in Norway, and has been granted permission to go ahead by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Isar Aerospace says it is planning to launch on 24 March between 12.30pm and 3.30pm CET, weather permitting.

If successful, the launch will be the first flight of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe, excluding Russia.

Does Europe already have other launch companies?

It does, and some are quite established. The European market leader, Arianespace, was founded 45 years ago and carries out launches in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the French national space agency, CNES. But these launches take place in French Guiana, a French territory located in South America, and the rockets themselves – Vega C and Ariane 6 – are built by other companies.

In addition to Isar Aerospace, there are a clutch of European start-ups looking to start competing, including Spain’s Zero 2 Infinity and Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg and HyImpulse.

Why does Europe need its own launchers?

Davide Amato at Imperial College London says there are a lot of reasons why there could be demand for smaller, European launch providers. For one thing, the logistics of making a satellite in Europe and then launching it in Europe – rather than having to ship it halfway around the world – would be simpler and cheaper.

It would also be simpler to have small, cheap launch vehicles that could put a single satellite into orbit, rather than having to share a ride with several other missions, all of which may want to reach a different height or orbit.

Then there is the current political situation. Companies and countries may not want to rely on US launch providers, especially SpaceX, given its unpredictable CEO, Elon Musk, and his links to the Trump administration.

These concerns were hinted at by Isar Aerospace’s CEO Daniel Metzler in a recent statement: “In today’s geopolitical climate, our first test flight is about much more than a rocket launch.”

Is Norway a good place to launch?

Rockets launching close to the equator get a boost. Thanks to the planet’s spin, they start out travelling much faster relative to the centre of Earth than rockets launching near the poles.

Andøya Space Center is located at 69° north, so Earth’s rotational speed is considerably weaker there than in French Guiana. But this isn’t important for high-inclination orbits: those that make a bigger angle with the equator.

Isar Aerospace says it will be able to put 1500-kilogram payloads into orbit up to 30 times a year, in orbital inclinations from 90° to 110.6°. This would include sun-synchronous orbits – those that always pass over a given point at the same local time – which are ideal for spy and weather satellites. Isar already has a contract to put Arctic Ocean surveillance satellites into just such an orbit for the Norwegian Space Agency.

The launch site is also reasonably free of air and marine traffic, and it benefits from all the infrastructure needed for small launch vehicles. “It will be more limited in terms of what you can achieve, but it’s still, I think, reasonable,” says Amato.

Will Isar be successful ?

Amato says Isar Aerospace could be following SpaceX away from the traditional space approach of extensive design and cautious testing to a more Silicon Valley “test, fail, improve” strategy. “I would expect failure,” says Amato. “Which is not necessarily bad.”

“Now, the question is, can you get to a design that survives and that’s reliable before you run out of money?” he says. “That’s the race. You’re racing your investors, basically.”