Isar Aerospace is accelerating its path to orbital flight and serial production by establishing a second test site at Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. The new facility, developed in partnership with SSC Space, will significantly increase the company’s capacity to test engines and stages for its two-stage ‘Spectrum’ launch vehicle.
The move comes as Isar Aerospace’s new production facility near Munich enters its final fit-out phase. With hardware manufacturing scaling up, the need for parallel expansion in qualification and acceptance testing has become critical. The second Esrange site addresses this by introducing fully integrated stage acceptance testing capabilities designed to match an increased launch cadence.
Once operational, the purpose-built site will be capable of testing more than 30 engines per month. This marks a substantial leap from earlier development phases and reflects Isar Aerospace’s strategy of vertically integrating the entire value chain—from design and production to testing and operations. By tailoring the facility to its own technical specifications, the company aims to reduce dependence on external scheduling and accelerate iteration cycles.
“Scaling reliable access to space requires both advanced vehicle design and the infrastructure to support rapid production,” said Can Araz, Vice President Spectrum at Isar Aerospace. “This expanded facility at Esrange unlocks new capabilities and allows us to test and qualify more engines and stages than ever before. We’re grateful for SSC Space’s continued partnership in making this possible.”
The new test infrastructure will not only support ongoing development but also enable high-rate production as Isar Aerospace moves toward commercial operations. The company is targeting increased flight frequency to meet what it describes as growing global demand for dedicated small satellite launches.
For SSC Space, the project strengthens a relationship that has evolved over several years at Esrange. “We are proud to deepen our partnership with Isar Aerospace as they scale their test capabilities,” said Mats Tyni, Director Business Development and Customer Operations at SSC Space. “This new facility strengthens Europe’s ability to achieve scalable and reliable space access. It reflects the trust placed in our team’s long-standing experience in advanced rocket testing.”
With test infrastructure now expanding in parallel with manufacturing, Isar Aerospace is positioning itself to move beyond individual launches and toward a sustained, responsive launch cadence. The new site at Esrange is expected to become operational in stages, supporting both engineering validation and serial acceptance testing as the company prepares Spectrum for its first commercial missions.
