Rocket Falls in Icy Wasteland, Explodes in Epic Fireball
Fortunately, while the spaceport's "crisis management" was triggered, nobody was hurt.
As Reuters reports, the rocket, dubbed Spectrum, was meant to kick off Europe's efforts to keep up with steep international competition when it comes to launching satellites into orbit. The company says it's the first rocket designed for orbital flight that has ever been launched from continental Europe, excluding Russia.
Elon Musk's SpaceX, in particular, has made major headwinds in establishing a massive constellation of Starlink satellites.
"Europe urgently needs to ensure its sovereignty in space," said Marie-Christine von Hahn, managing director of Germany's BDLI aerospace industries association, in a statement, as quoted by Reuters. "Elon Musk's Starlink is not without alternatives — nor should it be."
https://twitter.com/spacecoastwest/status/1906297425062428674
While the launch may have resulted in an epic fireball — in glorious footage of a rocket exploding in front of gorgeous, snow-covered mountains — Isar Aerospace claims it was an important step in the right direction.
"With this test flight, we were able to successfully gather valuable data and experience for future missions," the company tweeted. "Thanks to strict safety procedures from both Isar Aerospace and Andøya Spaceport, all personnel remained safe at all times."
"Isar Aerospace met its set goals: After ignition of its first stage, Spectrum successfully lifted off," the company wrote in a statement, "for its first test flight lasting approximately 30 seconds. This allowed the company to gather a substantial amount of flight data and experience to apply on future missions."
It's a particularly noteworthy development, given Europe's broader goals of reducing its dependence on the United States, particularly when it comes to security.
"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," said Isar Aerospace CEO and cofounder Daniel Metzler in a statement.
"Launch, learn, repeat," the company wrote, echoing SpaceX's iterative design methodology.
More on Starlink: It Looks an Awful Lot Like Elon Musk Is Awarding a Huge Government Contract to Himself
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canva begins employee stock sale at $42 billion valuation, Bloomberg News reports
(Reuters) -Australian graphic design and collaboration platform Canva launched an employee stock sale at a valuation of $42 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
CNBC
40 minutes ago
- CNBC
European markets head for negative open as sentiment shifts; UK inflation data ahead
LONDON — European stocks are expected to open lower on Wednesday as global market sentiment wavered. The U.K.'s FTSE index is seen opening 0.18% lower, Germany's DAX 0.6% lower, France's CAC 40 down 0.56% and Italy's FTSE MIB 0.56% lower. Regional bourses traded higher on Tuesday as global markets reacted broadly positively to the outcome of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday. Defense stocks were among the worst performers in the index, however. On the data front, the U.K. inflation print for July will be published at 7 a.m. London time. Economists polled by Reuters had anticipated inflation would reach 3.7% in the twelve months to July, after it picked up to a hotter than expected 3.6% in June. Earnings come from Alcon and Geberit and Sweden's Riksbank publishes its latest monetary policy decision. Globally, Asia-Pacific markets fell overnight, tracking Wall Street declines in Tuesday's trading session. S&P 500 futures were near flat overnight ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's July meeting minutes. At the time, policymakers once more held steady on interest rates, but Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman dissented, marking the first time two voting Fed officials have done so since 1993. Traders are also focusing on key speeches from Fed officials when they convene in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the Fed's annual economic symposium on Thursday. Investors are awaiting clues from Fed Chair Jerome Powell as to what will happen at the central bank's remaining policy meetings this year. The Fed funds futures market is indicating an 84.9% chance for a quarter-point rate cut at the Fed's next policy meeting in September, according to CME's FedWatch tool.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
BP, Shel, CVX: Oil Stocks Give Mixed Reception to Ukraine Peace Hopes as Prices Slide
The prospect of peace in Ukraine hasn't brought much joy to the oil price as it slid in early trading today. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Brent crude futures lost 0.7% to trade at $65.09 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures retreated by 1% to $62.82 a barrel. Peace Summit The drop came after what appeared to be a successful meeting at the White House between President Trump, Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a gaggle of European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In a social media post following the meeting, Trump said he had spoken with Russian president Vladimir Putin and was working to arrange a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy, to be followed by a meeting of all three leaders. An end to the conflict, calming at least one of the main geopolitical crises around the world would be a plus for the global economy. But, it might not be so welcome in the balance between oil supply and demand. That's because a deal could see the lifting of sanctions on Russian crude exports bringing more oil onto the market, at a time when demand is still volatile. 'An outcome which would see a ratcheting down of tensions and remove threats of secondary tariffs or sanctions would see oil drift lower toward our $58 per barrel Q4-25/Q1-26 average target,' said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategy at TD Securities. Stocks React Suvro Sarkar, lead energy analyst at DBS Bank, added: 'Oil prices are largely responding to outcomes of recent meetings between Trump-Putin and Trump-Zelenskyy and while no outright peace deal or ceasefire seems imminent, there has been some progress made and chances of further escalation or intensification of sanctions on Russia from US or Europe may be off the table for now.' All of these key stocks have had a volatile 2025 to date hit by international issues such as Ukraine and Iran, as well as tariff fears. That uncertainty may be down to tempered expectations over whether the current talks will actually lead to an end in hostilities. According to the Wall Street Journal, cryptocurrency-based prediction market, Polymarket, currently points to a 38% chance of a ceasefire, well below the 78% seen in March.
