Andøya Spaceport is the new orbital rocket launch facility on the west side of Andøya, between Berget and Nøss. It is separate from the older Andøya Space Centre near Andenes, which handles sounding rockets. This site was built for orbital launches and inaugurated in November 2023, making it the first launch site for orbital rockets in continental Europe.
The road runs straight through the complex. The integration building sits on one side of the road and the launch pad and tank farm on the other. There are good vantage points on the mountains that form a semicircle around the site.
On 30 March 2025, the first orbital launch attempt took place here. German company Isar Aerospace tried to send their Spectrum rocket into orbit. The 28-metre rocket, powered by nine Aquila engines burning liquid oxygen and propane, lifted off successfully but lost attitude control about 30 seconds into the flight. The range safety system terminated the flight and the rocket crashed back to the ground. Nobody was hurt.
Isar Aerospace called it a success because of the data gathered. Whether you agree with that assessment depends on your definition of success. Either way, it was a historic moment: the first orbital launch attempt from this part of Europe. Getting rockets into orbit on the first try is rare in this industry, and more attempts will follow.
The road runs straight through the complex. The integration building sits on one side of the road and the launch pad and tank farm on the other. There are good vantage points on the mountains that form a semicircle around the site.
On 30 March 2025, the first orbital launch attempt took place here. German company Isar Aerospace tried to send their Spectrum rocket into orbit. The 28-metre rocket, powered by nine Aquila engines burning liquid oxygen and propane, lifted off successfully but lost attitude control about 30 seconds into the flight. The range safety system terminated the flight and the rocket crashed back to the ground. Nobody was hurt.
Isar Aerospace called it a success because of the data gathered. Whether you agree with that assessment depends on your definition of success. Either way, it was a historic moment: the first orbital launch attempt from this part of Europe. Getting rockets into orbit on the first try is rare in this industry, and more attempts will follow.