Spectrum Rocket Crashes Into Sea After Orbital Launch Attempt, Company Calls Test A 'Success'

A highly anticipated test flight aimed at launching satellites from Europe ended in a fiery explosion just seconds after takeoff from Norway Sunday. The uncrewed Spectrum rocket, developed by German startup Isar Aerospace, was billed as Europe’s first attempt at an orbital launch from its own soil. The mission was part of a broader push to expand the continent’s commercial space industry.

The rocket lifted off from Andøya Spaceport, located on a remote Norwegian island that sits nearly 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle. Launch occurred at 12:30 p.m. local time before the flight was purposefully terminated roughly 30 seconds later, causing the rocket to plunge into the sea in what the company described as a “controlled manner.”

Video footage from the launch shows the Spectrum rocket soaring into the sky before suddenly losing altitude and crashing into the water below in a fiery explosion. Andøya Space, the Norwegian agency operating the launch site, confirmed the launch pad was undamaged in the crash, but that “crisis response” measures were activated following the incident.

While Europe has long launched rockets from sites in French Guiana and Cape Canaveral, this test was part of a larger effort to establish a homegrown space economy. Despite the perceived setback, Isar Aerospace remains committed to further testing and its longterm goal of making Europe a player in the global satellite launch industry.

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