Isar Aerospace has significantly expanded its footprint at the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden, establishing a second, purpose-built test facility in partnership with SSC Space. This strategic move directly supports the production ramp-up of its Spectrum launch vehicle, aiming to make space access more scalable for Europe.
With the company’s new production hall near Munich nearing completion, the focus is intensifying on the testing infrastructure required for higher launch cadences. The new Esrange facility is designed to meet this need head-on, with the capacity to perform acceptance tests on more than 30 rocket engines per month. Crucially, it will also enable fully integrated stage acceptance testing—a key capability for validating complete rocket sections before flight.
This expansion is a cornerstone of Isar Aerospace’s vertically integrated strategy, which maintains control over the entire launch vehicle lifecycle from design and manufacturing to testing and operations. The tailor-made test sites at Esrange provide the dedicated infrastructure necessary to translate manufacturing output into flight-ready vehicles efficiently.
“Scaling reliable access to space requires not only advanced launch vehicle design but also the right infrastructure to support rapid development and production,” said Can Araz, Vice President Spectrum at Isar Aerospace. “With our second test facility at Esrange, we are unlocking new capabilities and accelerating our progress. The expanded site will allow us to test and qualify more engines and stages than ever before.”
The partnership with SSC Space, which operates Esrange, is fundamental to this growth. “We are proud to deepen our long-standing partnership with Isar Aerospace as they expand their testing capabilities,” said Mats Tyni, Director of Business Development and Customer Operations at SSC Space. “This new facility strengthens Europe’s path toward scalable and reliable access to space, and it reflects the trust placed in our team’s experience in advanced rocket testing. Together, we are building the infrastructure that will support the growing needs of the European space market.”
The development underscores a concerted push to build independent European launch capacity. By creating a parallel stream for critical engine and stage acceptance testing, Isar Aerospace aims to de-bottleneck production, ensuring its Spectrum rocket can meet the rising demand for dedicated launch services from satellite constellations and institutional missions.
