Isar Aerospace attempted to launch its Spectrum rocket from a spaceport in Norway on Sunday, March 30. Just a few seconds after the engines turned on, it crashed into the ground and exploded. However, engineers still call the attempt a success.
Launch of a private rocket from a European spaceport
On March 30 at 6:30 a.m., Isar Aerospace made the first ever attempt to launch a space rocket from a ground-based spaceport located in continental Europe. Its Spectrum carrier launched from the Andøya launch pad located in Norway.
Unfortunately, the launch, which was broadcast live, ended unsuccessfully. About 25 seconds after launch, the rocket began to lean on its side, then flipped over completely, and that’s where the broadcast stopped. After another 10 seconds, the carrier reportedly crashed into the ground and exploded.
According to engineers, at about 30 seconds of the flight, the control automation detected that it was following an unplanned trajectory and commanded the engines to shut down. However, nothing more has been reported yet.
Spectrum rocket
The Spectrum rocket is a two-stage rocket. It is capable of launching 1,000 kg of payload into low-Earth orbit or 700 kg into sun-synchronous orbit. The first stage is powered by nine Aquila engines, while the second stage is powered by one.
Isar Aerospace is headquartered in Munich. The Spectrum cost 400 million euros to develop. The launch was at a very significant time. The European Space Agency has just announced that it is looking for reliable partners among private companies.
However, Isar Aerospace had received permission from the Norwegian government to launch even before that, but it’s clear that private rocket building is booming in Europe right now. And the company really wanted to become Europe’s SpaceX.
Interestingly, the company doesn’t consider the launch a failure. Engineers said it brought the Spectrum one step closer to commercial success. However, when production of the second copy of the carrier will end remains unknown.
According to spacenews.com
