The first orbital rocket launched from Europe exploded after launch: the flight was called successful
Kyiv • UNN
The Spectrum rocket, developed by Isar Aerospace, exploded shortly after launch from the Andøya spaceport. Despite the setback, the company called the test useful for future missions.
The German airline Isar Aerospace made its first attempt to launch the two-stage Spectrum rocket. The rocket was launched from the Andøya spaceport in Norway, but it exploded less than a minute after takeoff. This was reported on Sunday, March 30, by NASASpaceflight.com and The Guardian, reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that after the launch from the Andøya spaceport in the Arctic, the Spectrum rocket smoked on the sides, lost control approximately 18 seconds after the start of the flight, after which it fell to the ground and exploded.
There was no crew on board. The mission called "Going Full Spectrum" is the first attempt at an orbital launch from continental Europe, excluding the British Isles and Russia.
It was believed that the rocket's entry into orbit was almost impossible. Isar Aerospace, despite the rocket's explosion, called the test flight successful. The startup managed to obtain useful information for future missions.
What is known about the Spectrum rocket
Spectrum is a two-stage liquid-fueled launch vehicle manufactured by the German startup Isar Aerospace. The rocket's development began in the 2010s.
The Spectrum's height is 28 m, and its diameter is 2 m. The rocket is designed to launch small and medium-sized satellites with a total mass of up to 700 kg into a sun-synchronous orbit and up to 1000 kg into a low Earth orbit.
The unmanned Spectrum rocket was declared as the first attempt at an orbital launch from European territory. Several European countries, including Sweden and Great Britain, are seeking to gain a share in the growing market for commercial space missions.
Spectrum is designed to launch small and medium-sized satellites weighing up to one ton into orbit. However, it did not carry a payload during its first flight from the spaceport in Arctic Norway.
This mission aimed to collect data about the Isar Aerospace launch vehicle, developed in-house by the company, and to become the first comprehensive test of all its systems, the company said last week.
Spectrum has not yet reached orbit, but Isar Aerospace has already signed an agreement with the Norwegian Space Agency to launch two satellites by 2028 as part of the Arctic Ocean Surveillance (AOS) initiative, aimed at monitoring the Arctic.
Let us remind you
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket with the NROL-57 payload. The rocket launched from California as part of a mission for the US National Reconnaissance Office.