Continental Europe's first attempt at an orbital space launch ended shorter than expected after Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket returned to Earth with a bang 30 seconds after lifting off only to crash and explode in the Norwegian Sea next to the pad.
The first flight by the Munich-based Isar Aerospace took place on March 30, 2025 at 12:30 pm CEST from the Andøya Spaceport 64 miles (102 km) northeast of Narvik, Norway. The 92-ft-high (28 m), carbon-composite, liquid propane/oxygen rocket lifted off on its nine Aquila engines generating 16,860 lb of thrust.
However, instead of reaching Earth orbit, the Spectrum suffered from a yet undisclosed malfunction that appeared to cause the rocket to wobble. Its engines then shut down before it turned over and plummeted into the sea where it crashed and burst into flame.
According to the company, the first flight ended with a controlled termination with no damage to the launch pad. In addition, the telemetry data will be used for future flights, with two more vehicles already in various stages of production in Germany.
"Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success," said Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-founder of Isar Aerospace. "We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System. We demonstrated that we can not only design and build but also launch rockets. I could not be prouder of our entire team for working so hard over the past seven years to reach this important milestone. Today, we laid the foundation to cater to the rising global demand for flexible satellite launch services. Now it’s time to analyze all data, learn, iterate and be back on the launch pad as soon as possible.
"As a company with European roots, we are proud to have shown that Europe has an enduring capacity for bold thinking and grand achievements. We have all resources to create globally competitive technology leaders. With our services, we will be able to serve customers from around the world to bring their satellites into space and to help Europe solve a major blind spot in its security architecture: access to space."
Isar Aerospace says that it expects to make up to 40 of the low-payload, two-stage Spectrum boosters per year, with each capable of placing 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) into low Earth orbit.
Source: Isar Aerospace
