Stunning drone video shows Isar Aerospace's first orbital launch attempt ending in flames in freezing waters about 30 seconds after liftoff.
The German firm's first Spectrum rocket lifted off on Sunday morning (March 30) from Andøya in northern Norway in the first ever orbital launch attempt from Europe.
Spectrum flew past the launch tower but soon encountered a malfunction. The rocket flipped over and crashed into the ocean near the launch pad, sending a burst of orange cloud rising into the clear Arctic sky, as shown in the video.
Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket crashed and exploded during its maiden flight on March 30, 2025.
The launch pad and surrounding infrastructure appear to be intact, according to Isar Aerospace. The company noted the positive aspect of Spectrum's debut, saying the 95-foot-tall rocket performed well overall.
The Isar Aerospace Spectrum rocket launches from Andøya in Norway on March 30, 2025, on its maiden flight.
“Our first test flight fully met our expectations and was a significant success,” Isar Aerospace CEO and co-founder Daniel Metzler said in an email. “We had a clean launch, a 30-second flight, and were even able to test our abort system.”
European space officials also expressed optimism.
“This test flight is exactly what we need: testing to collect data, learn and improve,” European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher said on Sunday.
“Everything Isar Aerospace has achieved today is impressive, and they will have a lot of data to analyze,” he added. “I applaud the teams for making such progress, and I am confident that we will see the next Spectrum on the launch pad, ready for its second test flight in the near future.”
Originally published on Space.com.
Mike WallSocial Links NavigationSpace.com Senior WriterMichael was a science writer at Idaho National Laboratory and a
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