"We have the coolest day job there is"
The Spectrum rocket reached orbit from Andøya on Saturday evening. No rocket has done so from Western European soil before.
Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket was launched from Andøya Spaceport at 22.12 on Saturday 5 September 2026. The picture shows the launch of Spectrum 2. Photo: Isar Aerospace.
"My engineers and I have the coolest day job there is. We get to launch rockets as a job, and it's a privilege," says Eirik Mårstad, head of telemetry and radar at Andøya Space and NITO member.
Andøya Space provided infrastructure and operational services, and was responsible for safety during the operation.
Isar Aerospace was responsible for the mission itself and the rocket.
Data capture
Mårstad and his professional team are working on the systems for data capture and tracking of the rocket. Telemetry retrieves information from the rocket, while radar and other ground systems follow the flight.
What has been the most difficult?
"This launch has presented a number of new technical challenges. It has required a lot of heavy and detailed preparatory work. Everything we see now is the result of good engineering work from the entire environment on Andøya," he says.
The professional community also developed and integrated the technical interfaces for the data capture.
"This can certainly be considered groundbreaking work," Mårstad states.
Several years of work
The Norwegian Space Centre and Andøya Space investigated the possibility of satellite launch from Andøya as early as 2018. Spectrum flew for the first time on 30 March 2025, but Isar Aerospace ended the flight after 30 seconds.
They have been working on the launch on Saturday for 17 months, and Mårstad says that he himself has worked on the project for several years.
"The last few years have been intensive. This is really the culmination of all the work," he says.
"We're used to launching rockets, but we don't take it for granted. We never stop appreciating it," says Mårstad.
European capacity
"What makes this project extra fun and exciting is that we are helping to ensure superb access to space. We can put satellites into orbit around the Earth with a pure European capacity," says Mårstad.
He emphasizes that as an engineer, it is extra special to have the opportunity to be at the forefront and contribute to the technological development of the human presence in space.
"It's really cool to be part of something like this. We have once again made history on Andøya. It's almost hard to put into words," says Mårstad.
At the same time, Mårstad believes that the achievement does not belong to one person.
"It is the engineering community at Andøya Space that has managed this. It has been teamwork all the way," he concludes.