An orbital rocket from a German start-up encountered a mishap and crashed shortly after liftoff on Sunday, marking a unique test flight in Europe that the manufacturers deemed successful in meeting its objectives. The launch, conducted from a spaceport in northern Norway, represented a milestone as the first attempt to send a rocket capable of reaching orbit from continental Europe, excluding Russia, according to Isar Aerospace, the company behind the endeavor. The rocket, named Spectrum, was in the air for a brief period of around 30 seconds before plunging into the frigid waters of the Norwegian Sea.
Amid a burgeoning space race dominated by American and Chinese entities, Isar Aerospace and other European start-ups are striving to carve out a space in the industry. The company positioned Sunday’s launch as a crucial step towards this ambition, stating, “Isar Aerospace achieved its objectives: Spectrum successfully took off after igniting its first stage for its inaugural test flight lasting approximately 30 seconds. This enabled the company to gather significant flight data and experience to enhance future missions.” Daniel Metzler, the CEO and co-founder, emphasized the significance of the launch in expanding Europe’s capabilities in space exploration and security initiatives, expressing pride in the company’s ability to offer satellite launch services globally.
While the European Space Agency and companies like ArianeGroup have previously launched rockets into orbit, these missions were typically conducted from non-European spaceports, primarily in the Americas. In contrast, industry leaders such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX have conducted numerous successful launches to orbit, underscoring Europe’s historical lag in space exploration efforts dating back to the initial space race and the subsequent rise of commercial space enterprises. For more news and updates from CNN, visit CNN.com and create an account to access additional content and newsletters.
