First Orbital Rocket Launch from Europe Fails as Spectrum Explodes Midair

The very first attempt to launch an orbital rocket from European soil has failed. Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket lifted off from Andøya Spaceport in Norway on March 30. It lost control after an anomaly occurred eighteen seconds into the flight.  No payloads were onboard. The test flight was taken to gather data on the vehicle’s performance. The cause of the failure is not known.

Investigation Underway

According to reports, video footage showed the rocket tumbling in midair before its engines shut down. Reports indicate that flight controllers may have terminated the mission once the vehicle became unstable. Andøya Spaceport, built specifically for Spectrum’s launches, remained unharmed. Officials have yet to confirm if the failure will affect the company’s future plans.

Technical Details of Spectrum

Spectrum is a small to medium-lift launch vehicle. It stands 28 metres tall and is designed to carry up to 1,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit. In comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is 70 metres high. Isar Aerospace has already secured agreements for future missions. The Norwegian Space Agency has scheduled Spectrum to launch Arctic Ocean Surveillance (AOS) satellites by 2028.

Future Launch Plans

It is not clear if this setback will delay Isar Aerospace’s commercial missions. The company has not released further details. Industry experts say that a thorough review of flight data will guide them to the next steps. No timeline has been provided for another test flight.