Posted on 03/30/2025 6:26:23 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A test rocket aimed at building the ability to launch satellites from Europe crashed about 40 seconds after takeoff from a Norwegian spaceport on Sunday.
The unmanned Spectrum rocket, an orbital rocket developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace, started smoking from its sides and then crashed back to Earth with a powerful explosion after launching from Norway's Andoya Spaceport in the Arctic. The company called the test flight a success.
"Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success," Daniel Metzler, Isar's chief executive and co-founder, said in a news release. "We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System."
The company said the two-stage rocket fell into the sea, adding that "the launch pad seems to be intact".
Orbital rockets are designed to place loads such as satellites into or beyond Earth's orbit.
Spectrum's blast-off was the first of an orbital launch vehicle from the European continent, excluding Russia, and Europe's first financed almost exclusively by the private sector.
The launch had been repeatedly postponed due to weather conditions, and Isar Aerospace had downplayed expectations.
"Every second we fly is good because we collect data and experience. Thirty seconds would already be a great success," Metzler, said ahead of the launch.
"We do not expect to reach orbit with this test. In fact, no company has yet managed to put its first orbital launch vehicle into orbit."
The 92-foot two-stage rocket was not carrying any load for the test flight.
Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 member states, the Associated Press reported.
ESA has been launching rockets and satellites into orbit for years, but mainly from French Guiana...
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
If that incompetent and stupid and Musk can do it, while stealing grandma’s social security, anyone can do it. Even AOC and Jasmine can do it.
🎶 “When the rockets go up I don’t care where they come down. That’s not my department,” says Werner von Braun… 🎶
They just need to iron out a couple of wrinkles, obviously.
“Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That’s not my department,” says Wernher von Braun.
- Tom Lehrer, “Werner von Braun”
That’s what I get for trying to find the copyright date.
If they considered that a success, what the heck would a failure be?
You got it right. I went from memory.
It done blew up good. Success! Now put some German astronauts atop the rocket, and see if they would agree.
Most western nations choose launch sites nearer to the equator to get a centripetal energy boost from earth’s rotation.
The Nodzis went the other way. So either they know something the rest of us don’t, or ....
The best place to launch a rocket is on the equator. That is where the spin of the Earth is fastest.
Good luck to them. America is very far ahead of Europe and the entire world when it comes to dominating space.
There is some truth to the claim that having a launch is somewhat of a success due to data recording but I’m sure that the Germans hoped for better results.
Title of the article does not match the text.
There was no orbital vehicle on board.
-
“The 92-foot two-stage rocket
was not carrying any load for the test flight.”
surface velocity — spin is uniform throughout the solid object
It crashed but it worked perfectly? Huh?
Made a nice big flash/bang and mushroom cloud in the denouement. The leftist Scott Manley has a nice vid, good ideas about what may have happened, and as always the best footage. Subcooled propane fuel, LOX, nine engines, just a little glitch. I'm sure they'll get it on the next try.
Not a big payload to orbit capacity, but should prove to be a decent, more expensive way to put up some satellites. The launch biz is heading to bigger payloads and reusability. But it's better to have more capability than less.
It's a space race! Whee!
Looks like Germany is still in the CLUTCHES of DEI.
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