European spaceports fall into two groups: sites that have launched to orbit and sites that list orbital launch as a goal. The European Space Agency (ESA) calls the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana Europe’s Spaceport. On 5 September 2026, Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Space in Norway and deployed satellites, according to Isar. Isar CEO Daniel Metzler said the company “opened space from Continental Europe”.
Two more sites are building towards orbital launches or test flights. SSC Space is building orbital launch capability at Esrange in northern Sweden and invites customers to launch satellites in 2028. SaxaVord, on Shetland, calls itself fully licensed for vertical launch and says a test flight is its next step.
European Spaceports at a Glance
ESA lists first Soyuz, Vega-C and Ariane 6 launches at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, and Isar Aerospace launched Spectrum from Andøya Space in Norway. Esrange in Sweden and SaxaVord in Shetland are building towards orbital launches or test flights.
| Site | Location | Status in published sources | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guiana Space Centre (Europe’s Spaceport) | French Guiana, South America, latitude 5°3’ | ESA’s key dates list first launches of Soyuz (2011), Vega-C (2022) and Ariane 6 (2024) | ESA |
| Andøya Space | Norway | Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum lifted off on 5 September 2026 and deployed satellites, per Isar | Isar Aerospace, ESA |
| Esrange Space Center | Northern Sweden | Sounding rocket launches; SSC Space is building orbital launch capability and invites customers to launch satellites in 2028 | SSC Space |
| SaxaVord Spaceport | Unst, Shetland, United Kingdom (UK) | Calls itself fully licensed for vertical launch; clients have completed engine tests, and a test flight is the next step | SaxaVord |
Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana
The Guiana Space Centre is the site ESA calls Europe’s Spaceport, and it sits on French territory in South America. ESA places it in French Guiana at latitude 5°3’, which ESA describes as “500 km north of the equator.”
ESA describes the Ariane and Vega rocket families as ESA-developed. Its page lists three first launches as key dates for the site:
- The first Soyuz launch in 2011
- The first Vega-C launch in 2022
- The first Ariane 6 launch in 2024
ESA’s Europe’s Spaceport page does not name the site’s operator. It also gives no count of launch pads and no total of launches flown from the site. For the wider set of European programmes behind these rockets, see the European space program explainer.
Andøya Space and Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum Flight
Andøya Space in Norway hosted Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum launch on 5 September 2026, which Isar presents as opening space from continental Europe. Isar Aerospace says its Spectrum rocket lifted off at 10:12 pm Central European Summer Time (CEST) from Isar’s dedicated launch complex at the site.
Daniel Metzler, Isar Aerospace’s chief executive officer (CEO), said: “Today, Isar Aerospace opened space from Continental Europe.” Isar says the satellites on board were deployed. The German Space Agency (DLR) selected those payloads through its Microlauncher Competition.
ESA’s Boost! programme supported the flight. ESA’s pre-launch page, dated 5 September 2026, lists six payloads: five commercial and educational cubesats and one experiment.
ESA also says Isar Aerospace was selected for the European Launcher Challenge, covered in the European Launcher Challenge explainer. Andøya’s latitude and pad count are not in these sources; check Andøya Space for them.
Esrange Space Center in Sweden
SSC Space says it is “building orbital launch capabilities at Esrange Space Center” in northern Sweden. SSC Space invites customers to launch satellites from Esrange in 2028.
Esrange already hosts other kinds of launch activity. DLR’s MAPHEUS-17 sounding rocket launched from Esrange on 1 October 2026. Two days earlier, on 29 September 2026, the European reusable stage prototype Themis completed its second wet dress rehearsal there.
SSC Space does not publish a date for the first orbital flight from Esrange. It also does not give the site’s latitude in these sources. Ask SSC Space directly for current launch dates.
SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland
SaxaVord calls itself “the UK’s first fully-licensed vertical launch spaceport.” SaxaVord says the site is on Unst, in Shetland, at the tip of the Lamba Ness peninsula. SaxaVord describes this as “the northernmost point of the UK.”
SaxaVord says its clients have completed engine tests on site and that the next step is a test flight. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sets licensing conditions on test flights and launches.
Two announcements describe SaxaVord’s commercial and funding position:
- On 19 March 2026, SaxaVord announced a launch services agreement with HyImpulse for the second flight of HyImpulse’s SR75 suborbital vehicle.
- On 8 September 2026, SaxaVord announced that the UK Government plans to invest £30 million, subject to due diligence, as part of a £60 million programme.
Why Latitude Matters for Launch Sites
ESA says rockets launched from French Guiana gain extra performance from a “slingshot effect” caused by the speed of Earth’s rotation. ESA ties that benefit to the site’s position at 5°3’, about 500 km north of the equator. ESA’s page does not put a figure on how much extra performance a rocket gets.
The other three sites are in Norway, Sweden and the UK. Andøya Space is in Norway and Esrange is in northern Sweden. SaxaVord describes its site as the northernmost point of the UK.
The sources here do not give latitude figures for Andøya or Esrange. They also do not compare performance between the northern sites and French Guiana. For how launch geography plays out elsewhere, see the US spaceports explainer and the Chinese launch sites guide.
Comparing European Spaceports by Status
The four sites differ on whether they have reached orbit and what they publish about their next step.
| Criterion | Guiana Space Centre | Andøya Space | Esrange | SaxaVord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbital launch in these sources | ESA lists first Soyuz, Vega-C and Ariane 6 launches | Isar Spectrum, 5 September 2026 | None in these sources | None in these sources |
| Latest dated item in these sources | First Ariane 6 launch, 2024 | Spectrum launch, 5 September 2026 | MAPHEUS-17 launch, 1 October 2026 | £30 million government investment plan, announced 8 September 2026 |
| Published next step | Not stated on ESA’s page | Not stated in these sources | Invites customers to launch satellites in 2028 | A test flight |
| Licence information published | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Calls itself fully licensed for vertical launch; the CAA sets conditions on test flights and launches |
| Latitude published | Yes: 5°3’ | No | No | No; SaxaVord describes its site as the UK’s northernmost point |
What Sources Do Not Publish About European Spaceports
Several basic figures about European spaceports are missing from the ESA and operator pages behind this explainer. Verify these at the operator’s site:
- Launch counts for any of the four sites, including the Guiana Space Centre
- The number of launch pads at the Guiana Space Centre or Andøya Space
- The operator of the Guiana Space Centre, which ESA’s page does not name
- The latitudes of Andøya Space and Esrange
- Any launch date for a first orbital flight from Esrange
- Any licence status for Andøya Space, Esrange or the Guiana Space Centre
Check each operator’s own site for current dates before relying on this page.