Europe's First Commercial Orbital Rocket Launch Fails: Isar Aerospace's Spectrum Crashes into the Sea

Isar Aerospace's first attempt to launch its Spectrum rocket into orbit from Norway's Andøya Space Center on March 30th ended in failure. The two-stage rocket lost control around 18 seconds into flight and was terminated 30 seconds later, falling into the sea. This marked the first orbital launch attempt from continental Europe (excluding the UK and Russia). Despite the failure, Isar Aerospace plans to utilize the flight data gathered and continue developing the rocket, aiming to become a major player in the European commercial space launch market. The company already boasts launch contracts with several customers.