Spectrum, a two -stage ship developed by the German company Isar Aerospace, began to oscillate shortly after takeoff
The first orbital rocket launched from Continental fell after just a few seconds of flight this Sunday (30) at the Norwegian space base of Andøya in the Arctic. Shortly after takeoff, the Spectrum rocket, a two-step aircraft developed by the German start-up Isar Aerospace, began to oscillate, rotate and fell, according to live images on YouTube. According to Isar Aerospace, the rocket fell into the water and “the launch platform seems to be intact.”
Andøya Space, a Norwegian state company that operates Andøya’s space port near the Lofoten archipelago, has announced that it implemented a “crisis plan” after the incident. No human or material damage was reported after the rocket landing, the Regional Police said. An orbital rocket is a launch vehicle capable of placing useful loads, such as a satellite, in the orbit of the land or beyond. Prior to the release, which was postponed several times due to weather conditions, Isar Aerospace stated that he had little hope of reaching the orbit of Earth in his first attempt.
“Our first test flight met all our expectations and it was a great success. We had a perfect takeoff, we fly for 30 seconds and even managed to validate our flight interruption system,” said Daniel Metzler, co -founder and CEO of the German young company. Two more Spectrum rockets are already in production, the company said in a statement.
According to a production rocket
“The manufacture of the second rocket is already well sent and, based on the data of this first flight, we will make the necessary adjustments to integrate them to the second,” Metzler explained at an online press conference. “The goal is to return to the launch platform as soon as possible.” “We want to reach the category of launchers with useful loads from up to a ton and believe we are very well positioned” for this satellite market, he continued.
Spectrum, 28 meters high per two meters in diameter, performed its first test without payload. “Today is an important day for German and European space flights,” said German Economy Minister Robert Haback. “Isar Aerospace can and will make a decisive contribution to ensure independent access from Europe to space,” he added. In 2023, there was a first attempted orbital flight of the United Kingdom, conducted by Virgin Orbit. The company of billionaire Richard Branson used a Boeing 747 for the release, which failed and the company failed.
“New Space”
The space was featured in the Draghi report, published last year, about the competitiveness of the European Union. Private access to Russian cosmodromos and launchers due to serious tensions with Moscow, Europe was affected by delays in the development of the Ariane 6 rocket and the suspension of the Vega-C launcher after an accident.
He recovered space sovereignty on March 6, with the first commercial flight of an Ariane 6 from Kourou (French Guiana) after several months without independent access to the space. Founded in 2018 in Munich, Isar Aerospace is one of the emerging companies in the “New Space” economy, which refers to small private participants who launch into space alongside institutional heavy weights.
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Posted by Luisa Cardoso
*With information from AFP
