Isar Aerospace’s first launch attempt for its Spectrum rocket ended in disaster when the vehicle lost control and plummeted back to Earth just 25 seconds after liftoff. The company, however, considers the test flight a success due to the valuable data gathered from the failed mission.
The Spectrum rocket, designed to place up to 1,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit, launched from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway on March 30. The vehicle reached clear skies before losing attitude control and descending rapidly. An explosion was heard shortly after the loss of control, and video footage showed the rocket hitting the surface near the pad.
Company executives stated that the flight termination system was activated at T+30 seconds, and the vehicle fell into a planned zone in waters near the pad. Despite failing to reach orbit, Isar Aerospace claimed it met all objectives for the test flight, learning valuable lessons from the experience.
The second Spectrum rocket is “quite progressed” in production, but the company will analyze data before determining a launch schedule. Meanwhile, European Space Agency (ESA) Director-General Josef Aschbacher expressed support for Isar Aerospace’s efforts, noting that “rocket launch is hard” and praising the company’s determination to move forward.
Isar Aerospace has raised over 400 million euros ($430 million) in funding, including an extension of its Series C round. The company is part of a growing group of European companies developing small launch vehicles, with other countries such as Germany preparing for their own launch attempts.
Source: https://spacenews.com/isar-aerospaces-first-spectrum-launch-fails