Debut Flight of Isar Aerospace Spectrum Rocket Ends in Explosion

The test flight, “Going Full Spectrum,” was the debut launch of Norwegian company Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum, a two-stage orbital launch vehicle designed to compete with SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 and the Ariane family of rockets used by the European Space Agency (ESA). The launch was scrubbed several times due to unfavorable weather before taking off Sunday at 6:30 a.m. EDT.

Spectrum lifted off from Norway’s picturesque Andøya Spaceport and cleared the launch pad. But after about 30 seconds, the vehicle activated its flight termination system, shutting down its engines and sending it tumbling nose-down into the sea “in a controlled manner,” Isar said.

Isar on Sunday released video of the launch and splashdown that shows the rocket plummeting and exploding in the water next to the pad, which according to the firm is intact. The vehicle was attempting a pitchover maneuver designed to help it gain speed and altitude before stage separation.

Despite sharing a flight plan that depicts stage separation and an upper stage flight phase, Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar, said Sunday during a press briefing that the firm never expected Spectrum to reach orbit. The mission did not carry a payload and instead served as the first integrated test of all the vehicle’s systems, the stated goal being to gather as much data as possible. According to the company, it achieved just that.

“We were able to gather a substantial amount of flight data to apply on our future missions,” said Alexandre Dalloneau, vice president of mission and launch operations for Isar. Dalloneau previously worked for Arianespace and oversaw Vega and Ariane 5 launches at Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) spaceport in French Guyana, from where the firm operates most ESA missions.

“Even if I would say the end of the mission was spectacular, I would say…it was still a success,” Dalloneau said.

Josef Aschbacher, director general of ESA, gave a similar assessment: “A test-flight is exactly that: a test to gather data, learn and improve. Everything Isar Aerospace achieved today is remarkable and they will have lots of data to analyse.”

Isar has raised about $435 million in funding primarily from private investors but also through three rounds of ESA cofunding under its Boost! program. To date, the initiative has awarded more than $46 million to European commercial launch providers. ESA last week also opened the European Launcher Challenge, which invites applicants to compete for private launch services contracts.

Aschbacher on Sunday said he “soon” expects Spectrum to be rolled back to Andøya for its next mission. Isar said launch vehicles for the second and third flights are already in production near its headquarters in Munich, where it aims to one day build 40 rockets annually. But first, it will need to analyze flight data and complete what Metzler called a “proper investigation” to determine what went wrong.

“Now it’s time to analyze all data, learn, iterate, and be back on the launch pad as soon as possible,” Metzler said in a statement.

While bombastic, the explosive conclusion of Spectrum’s maiden voyage is not without precedent. Take, for example, Ariane 5, which was designed by an industry coalition and was ESA’s workhorse launcher before being phased out for the Ariane 6 and Avio’s Vega C. It self-destructed about 30 seconds into its debut mission and did not reach orbit until five years later.

Even SpaceX—whose Falcon 9 accounted for more than half of all orbital launch attempts last year—struggled early. The first test flight of Falcon 1, an early version of the workhorse rocket, similarly failed after about 30 seconds. It reached orbit on its fourth flight more than two years later.

“Test-launching a new rocket is immensely complex and most often unsuccessful,” said Chris Hadfield, a retired Canadian Space Agency astronaut who flew to space three times, in a post on X. “Lots to learn from for @isaraerospace. Glad no one was hurt and the pad is undamaged.”

Spectrum lacks Falcon 9’s second-stage reusability, which has allowed SpaceX to dominate the global commercial launch market. But it could help spur a new wave of European innovation, with competitors like Orbex, Rocket Factory Augsburg, MaiaSpace, and HyImpulse all developing alternatives. Isar’s offering is designed to launch small satellites up to 2,200 pounds to low Earth orbit.

“We have all resources to create globally competitive technology leaders,” Metzler said in a statement. “With our services, we will be able to serve customers from around the world to bring their satellites into space and to help Europe solve a major blind spot in its security architecture: access to space.”

Spectrum’s second test flight is expected to launch 19 small satellites for universities and private companies under an agreement with the German Space Agency at DLR. Isar also has a contract with the Norwegian Space Agency to launch its Arctic Ocean Surveillance satellites from Andøya through 2028.

Like this story? We think you'll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.