Key mission for Europe's commercial space enterprise scrubbed again

Andøya’s location near a rich offshore fishery has also generated tension. The skipper of the longline fishing boat within the launch hazard area during Isar’s March launch attempt told local media he stayed in the keep-out zone to retrieve tangled gear. He also refused to leave the area where a German bombing exercise was set to occur last October, but rejected any accusation of sabotage. The test range is an important part of Norway’s military partnership with Germany. Olafur Einarsson, captain of the fishing vessel, argued for local interests in an interview with the newspaper Kyst og Fjord : “For us fishermen, this is our workplace, and then they come here and want to use the same area. We have gotten a bad neighbor, you could say.” Friction between the launch and fishing industries is nothing new. In the early years of Japan’s space program, launches from the country’s primary spaceport were limited to certain months based on fishing seasons near Tanegashima Island. The restrictions remained for decades until an agreement in 2010 opened the way for year-round launches. Isar Aerospace is at the head of a pack of emerging European rocket companies seeking to make the continent’s once-strong commercial launch industry competitive again. …