Isar Aerospace reaches orbit on Spectrum's second flight from Norway

Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket reached orbit from Andøya Spaceport in Norway at 10:12 p.m. CEST on Saturday, the company said. It was the vehicle's second flight.

The first lasted 30 seconds.

The Onward and Upward mission carried five CubeSats and one experiment. Isar says it deployed the payloads in orbit and is working with customers to confirm satellite status.

The European Space Agency describes the flight as the first time a European company reached orbit from continental Europe with its own launch vehicle. It says the mission completed the first milestone in the European Launcher Challenge. Andøya Space calls it the first successful satellite launch from mainland Europe.

The result gives Spectrum an orbital flight. It does not establish that every satellite is operating.