The first launch of the German Spectrum rocket ended in a tumble and crash

German aerospace company Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket for the first time today. However, seconds after liftoff, the rocket lost control and fell to Earth. The launch took place from the Andøya spaceport in northern Norway at 13:30 Moscow time.

Image source: Isar Aerospace/NASASpaceFlight.com

After the launch, the rocket shot into the sky and after about 25 seconds, it performed a maneuver that was supposed to help it gain altitude. A few seconds later, the carrier turned over in the air and began to descend. At this point, the webcast of the launch was interrupted, but after a while, the sound of an explosion was heard. A video from the Norwegian publication VG shows the rocket falling near the launch pad, after which it explodes.

The test flight was called Going Full Spectrum and did not involve a payload. Isar Aerospace Vice President Alexandre Dalloneau noted before the launch that the mission was intended to test all components and systems of the rocket. He stressed that regardless of the outcome of the test flight, the mission would be an important step for the company and its partner, the Andøya spaceport.

Isar Aerospace CEO Daniel Metzler commented on the launch an hour after the launch: “What a flight! Today, during the first launch, we achieved a clean start, 30 seconds of flight and, importantly, did not destroy the launch pad.”

Let us recall that the two-stage Spectrum launch vehicle is designed to deliver up to 1,000 kg of cargo to low Earth orbit or up to 700 kg of cargo to sun-synchronous orbit. The first stage of the launch vehicle uses nine Aquila engines running on liquid oxygen and liquid propane. The second stage is equipped with one Aquila engine optimized for operation in space. To date, Isar has attracted over $430 million in investments. Before the launch, the company’s management announced that the second and third Spectrum rockets were in production.

Isar is not the only European company developing small launch vehicles. Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg is preparing to launch its RFA One rocket for the first time from its Shetland launch site in Scotland. Last August, the company was conducting a static test of the first stage when it exploded.

Isar’s failure comes shortly after the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a competition to provide funding to support aerospace companies in the region. Earlier this week, it launched the European Launcher Challenge, which is open to European companies offering launch services or launch vehicle construction.