Isar Aerospace signs New Contract and Moves Toward Second Spectrum Launch

Today, November 18, 2025, the German company Isar Aerospace announced a new launch service agreement with the US company SEOPS. The contract includes the delivery of multiple payloads to a LEO orbit as part of a mission set for 2028.

Dedicated mission

SEOPS is a US-based company that provides launch services and integration solutions for small satellites to Low Earth Orbit, cislunar, and beyond.

The company leverages its long flight heritage, with hundreds of delivered payloads and a 100% mission success rate, relying on flight-proven hardware platforms such as the Equalizer Flex and Ghost Trap CubeSat deployers. The recently introduced Keystone ring is capable of supporting payloads up to 850 kg, enabling smooth, low-shock deployment.

*Keystone payload separation system. Credits: SEOPS*

The new agreement with Isar Aerospace will allow SEOPS to expand its Launchlock Prime service, which provides ongoing support for multiple custom missions such as constellation deployments.

With its recent announcements, Isar Aerospace appears to be building a solid launch manifest for the coming years for the Spectrum rocket, supported both by ESA-backed missions and by demand from various private customers worldwide. The cadence of future launches will largely depend on the next few months, which will mark Isar’s return to launch operations from Andøya Spaceport in Norway.

Spectrum toward orbit

Isar Aerospace is developing Spectrum, a small-lift two-stage orbital rocket, capable of launching up to 1000 kg of payload into LEO. The rocket is powered by nine engines fueled with Propane and Oxygen.

On March 20, Spectrum cleared the pad for its first and short launch. Despite a successful liftoff from Andøya, the vehicle lost its nominal trajectory, and the Flight Termination System ended the mission 30 seconds after liftoff. The rocket then safely fell into the sea.

Drone footage of Spectrum’s maiden launch. Credits: Isar Aerospace

Nearly eight months later, on November 13, Isar announced that both the first and second rocket stages had been delivered from Germany to Norway for Spectrum Flight 2. There is still no information about a possible launch window date. In October, Andøya Space published a notice for potential road closures in the launch facility area during an operational period that will end on December 21.