THE first-ever orbital rocket launched from Europe has crashed into the ground and exploded moments after its take off.
German startup Isar Aerospace’s uncrewed Spectrum rocket fell into the sea and burst into flames just 40 seconds after blasting off from Norway’s Arctic Andøya Spaceport on Sunday.
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The dramatic fireball marked a fiery end to what had been billed as the continent’s first-ever orbital launch attempt — seen as a major step in Europe’s bid to break into the booming commercial satellite market.
The 28-metre Spectrum rocket lifted off at 12.30pm local time (10.30 am UK) after weather delays earlier in the week.
But the flight was abruptly “terminated” just half a minute in.
Despite the explosive ending, Isar Aerospace insists the mission was a win.
“Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,” said Daniel Metzler, Isar’s chief executive and co-founder.
“We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.”
The test, which carried no payload, was the debut run for the company’s in-house developed launch vehicle.
It was designed to gather data and experience in a real-world launch scenario.
Isar had already warned that the rocket was unlikely to reach orbit, and the aim was to test all integrated systems in a live environment.
“We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System,” Metzler added.
The Spectrum is designed to carry small to medium satellites weighing up to one metric tonne and marks Europe’s push to develop independent launch capabilities, as competition intensifies in the space sector.
While the European Space Agency (ESA) has been sending rockets into orbit for decades, it typically relies on launch sites in French Guiana and the US.
Isar Aerospace operates independently of ESA and is among several private firms aiming to revolutionise access to space from European soil, alongside efforts from Sweden and the UK.
Though short-lived, Sunday’s launch is a key step in Europe’s homegrown space ambitions.
Earlier this month, SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded during a test flight again – sending blazing debris across the sky and grounding several flights in Florida.
The 403-foot rocket lifted off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, at around 6.30pm local time on March 6 but went into an uncontrolled spin just minutes later.
The explosion marked yet another flopped launch in just months for Elon Musk’s space company.
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Engines on top of Starship began shutting down as it streaked eastward, and contact was lost.
The flight was meant to end with a controlled descent over the Indian Ocean.
Incredible footage circulating on social media shows the dramatic breakup of SpaceX’s Starship as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere near the Turks and Caicos Islands.
One clip, filmed by a passenger onboard a commercial flight near Florida and the Lucayan Archipelago, captures the rocket’s disintegration in a fiery cascade of debris streaking across the night sky.
Additional footage taken over the Bahamas shows glowing fragments tumbling towards the ocean, lighting up the darkness like a meteor shower.
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