Other European launch companies likely to be in the mix include PLD Space of Spain, Skyrora from the United Kingdom, and Germany's Isar Aerospace, whose first Spectrum rocket currently sits on the pad at Norway's Andøya Spaceport with a launch attempt planned for March 28.

A German start-up’s orbital rocket spun out and crashed seconds after take-off Sunday, in a rare European test flight that the makers said “met its set goals.”

The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off Sunday, in a closely watched test for the continent's bid to build a new space economy.