Isar Aerospace to launch satellites from French Guiana from 2024

Isar Aerospace builds launch vehicles for small and medium-sized satellites. The new launch site will enable the start-up to expand its range.

Satellite start-up Isar Aerospace has been awarded a contract by the French space agency CNES to launch satellites in French Guiana. From 2024, the Munich-based company will be able to use the diamond rocket launch site in Kourou commercially to launch satellites into space for its customers.

Founded in 2018 by Daniel Metzler, Josef Fleischmann and Markus Brandl, the company manufactures launchers for the transportation of small and medium-sized satellites. Isar Aerospace operates a test center in Esrange, Sweden, and has exclusive access to the continental European rocket launch site in Andøya, Norway.

With the additional launch site in Guyana, the start-up can now expand its offering. Thanks to its proximity to the equator, Isar Aerospace can now reach all orbits with the same launch pad. "By launching our launch vehicles from French Guiana, we are giving our customers a higher launch cadence and even more flexible access to space," says Alexandre Dalloneau, Vice President Mission and Launch Operations, who will manage operations at the new site. "We are delighted to be able to further strengthen our European partnerships and contribute to strategic access to space for Europe." The decision to open up the Diamond launch site to other launch service providers is a further step towards an independent European space system. Only recently, the Russian Soyuz launcher ceased operations in French Guiana.