A few seconds after Norway takes off, a rocket carrying a European railcar crashes

A test rocket designed to build a capability that could hit about 40 seconds after taking off from Norwegian Spaceport on Sunday.

The unmanned spectral rocket developed by German startup Isar Aerospace is an orbital rocket that starts smoking from its side and then launches from Norwegian Andoya Spaceport in the Arctic, with a powerful explosion. The company calls the test flight a success.

“Our first test flight met all our expectations and was a huge success,” Isar CEO and co-founder Daniel Metzler said in a press release. “We did a clean liftoff, flew for 30 seconds and could even verify our flight termination system.”

The company said the two-stage rocket fell into the sea, adding that “the launch pad seems to be complete.”

Orbital rockets aim to put payloads such as satellites into Earth’s orbit.

The Spectrum’s explosion was the first of the orbital launchers on the continent, excluding Russia, which was originally funded by the private sector only.

The release has been repeatedly postponed due to weather conditions, and Isar Aerospace downplayed expectations.

“Every second we fly is great because we collect data and experience. Thirty seconds have been a huge success.”

“We don’t want to get to the track through this test. In fact, no company has put its first track launcher on the track.”

The 92-foot two-stage rocket brought no load to the test flight.

ISAR Aeronautics and Space is separated from the European Space Agency or ESA and is funded by its 23 member states, the Associated Press reported.

ESA has launched rockets and satellites into orbit for many years, but mainly from the overseas division of Guyana, France – South America, and Cape Canaveral, Florida.

In 2023, billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson’s virgin track underwent its first European orbit launch. It attempted to launch a rocket from southwestern England using a Boeing 747, but failed, causing the company to fold.