Rocket Report: Europe joins the commercial launch club; a Ravn X sighting?

Key Points:

• Isar Aerospace, founded in 2018 by German students, successfully launched its Spectrum rocket into low-Earth orbit from Norway, becoming the first purely commercial European company to reach orbit on only its second launch attempt. The company has raised around $1 billion and employs nearly 500 people, signaling growing private capital influence in Europe's traditionally government-driven space sector.
• The UK government unveiled a national space strategy investing £7.8 billion ($10.5 billion) through 2030, including £30 million ($40.5 million) to support the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, aiming to enable satellite launches from the UK for the first time, with German company Rocket Factory Augsburg as a main tenant.
• Firefly Aerospace signed a multi-launch agreement with SSC Space to conduct at least two Alpha rocket launches from Sweden’s Esrange Space Center starting no earlier than 2028, targeting national security and commercial customers, with plans for more launches to follow.
• Stoke Space raised $1 billion to accelerate development of a larger medium-lift reusable rocket, the Block 2 Nova, capable of lifting 15 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, with a planned debut launch in 2029.
• Arianespace expanded its contract with Amazon Leo to 24 Ariane 64 launches through 2031, demonstrating reliability compared to other providers, while also securing a launch deal for The Exploration Company's reusable Nyx space capsule targeting late 2028, supported by a €760 million ESA contract.