A much-anticipated launch from northern Norway ended in flames just seconds after liftoff as Europe’s first privately developed orbital rocket tumbled back into the sea. Despite the dramatic failure, the company behind the rocket insisted the event was a success — a claim that only highlighted how far behind Europe remains in aerospace innovation.
Isar Aerospace, a German company, attempted to launch its Spectrum rocket from the Andoya Spaceport Sunday. It marked the first attempt to reach orbit from mainland Europe, not including Russia. The launch was over in less than a minute after the rocket started emitting smoke and crashed into the frigid sea.
Europe: “Trump is bad—we don't need America anymore”
Also Europe trying to launch its first orbital rocket 👇🏻🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZOdwn4JWZH
— Majority Unsilenced (@MajUnsilenced) March 30, 2025
While the vehicle never reached orbit and carried no satellite payload, Isar’s executives said they gathered useful data. Company CEO Daniel Metzler called it a “great success” for validating parts of their flight systems. Still, the rocket’s destruction served as a visible reminder of Europe’s dependence on outside powers — particularly the U.S. — for major space operations.
The European Space Agency, composed of 23 nations, has routinely launched rockets but relies on overseas spaceports, including sites in French Guiana and Florida. Even French-led companies like ArianeGroup conduct their launches from the Western Hemisphere.
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In contrast, American companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX have launched hundreds of successful missions into orbit, many of them manned or carrying commercial payloads. SpaceX rockets regularly return to Earth for reuse, while Europe struggles to make it off the launchpad.
Metzler tried to frame the failure in a positive light, noting that no private company has ever achieved orbit with its first test launch. The rocket’s development and launch were financed primarily by the private sector, unlike ESA’s government-backed operations.
Europe’s last high-profile attempt to reach orbit ended similarly when Virgin Orbit’s 2023 launch out of the UK failed, leading to the company’s collapse.
