We present a two-node geometrically exact beam finite element that relies on an element-wise (local or co-rotational) interpolation of the rotation vector, similar to that proposed by Magisano et al. [1], and therefore is objective and path independent. In contrast with [1], where the element nodal rotation DOFs consist of incremental rotation vectors, the present approach uses instead iterative spatial spins, a strategy which leads to a “lighter” formulation. In particular, the relation between the first and second variations of the local rotation vector (the interpolated parameter) and the iterative spatial spins (the element rotation DOFs) is simpler, particularly for the case of the second variation (the incremental-iterative variation). The linearization of the equilibrium equations is presented in closed form. Expressions for the finite element internal force vector and tangent stiffness matrix are provided in a simple format, which can be easily implemented. A set of benchmark numerical tests is provided, showing the effectiveness of the proposed finite element. REFERENCES [1] D. Magisano, L. Leonetti, A. Madeo, G. Garcea. A large rotation finite element analysis of 3D beams by incremental rotation vector and exact strain measure with all the desirable features. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineereing, 361, 112811, 2020.