Latest news with #FlightTerminationSystem
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Test Rocket Explodes Seconds After Europe's First Orbital Rocket Launch
It's been a big year for rocket explosions so far in 2025, with two craft from SpaceX experiencing "rapid unscheduled disassembly" above the Caribbean. Now, the inaugural test flight for a space startup ended in disaster when the first orbital rocket launch on mainland Europe exploded seconds after takeoff. A test launch from space startup Isar Aerospace was due to become the first orbital rocket launch in mainland Europe with its test flight on Sunday March 30. The startup launched its Uncrewed Spectrum rocket from a facility in Norway, but the craft crashed back to Earth and exploded just seconds after it launched, reports the Guardian. The rocket was billed as a key milestone for European space companies as it could have paved the way for satellite launches and similar programs on the continent. The launch clearly didn't go without a hitch, though, and the craft started wobbling shortly after takeoff. It then spun in the air and nosedived into the sea below, where it exploded. Read more: All Aboard South Korea's New $100 Billion Baby-Making Trains The Uncrewed Spectrum rocket launched without a satellite onboard. Instead, the launch was all about gathering data for future launches, explained Isar Aerospace in a statement. As such, it claims that in spite of the explosion, the test flight was a success: "Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success. We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System. We demonstrated that we can not only design and build but also launch rockets. I could not be prouder of our entire team for working so hard over the past seven years to reach this important milestone," said Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of Isar Aerospace. The European Space Agency also said the launch was a "success to get off the pad," despite it then exploding into a few thousand pieces when it crash landed into the sea. But hey, what's a few explosions among friends? As a result of the fiery end to the launch, Isar Aerospace says it now has plenty of data to dig through in order to find out what went wrong. Once it's been able to find the "root cause and iterate the systems" for its launch vehicle, Isar will be able to start planning future launches. With this in mind, the company is already working on the construction of its second and third launch vehicles. These craft will continue testing the company's launch systems, which will one day be capable of carrying as much as 2,200lbs worth of stuff into orbit above the Earth. When the company eventually reaches that milestone, it'll join dozens of other space startups that are slowly filling Earth's orbit with all kind of satellites, probes, telescopes and other space junk. It's estimated that there are more than 11,000 satellites orbiting above Earth today, and that number is only going to rise. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Asharq Al-Awsat
30-03-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Private European Aerospace Startup Completes 1st Test Flight of Orbital Launch Vehicle
A rocket by a private European aerospace company launched from Norway on Sunday and crashed into the sea 30 seconds later. Despite the short test flight, Isar Aerospace said that it successfully completed the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle by launching its Spectrum rocket from the island of Andøya in northern Norway. The 28-meter-long (92-foot-long) Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle specifically designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit. The rocket lifted off from the pad at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) Sunday and flew for about a half-minute before the flight was terminated, The Associated Press quoted Isar as saying. 'This allowed the company to gather a substantial amount of flight data and experience to apply on future missions,' Isar said in a statement. 'After the flight was terminated at T+30 seconds, the launch vehicle fell into the sea in a controlled manner.' Video from the launch shows the rocket taking off from the pad, flying into the air and then coming back down to crash into the sea in a fiery explosion. The launch was subject to various factors, including weather and safety, and Sunday's liftoff followed a week of poor conditions, including a scrubbed launch on March 24 because of unfavorable winds, and on Saturday for weather restrictions. 'Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,' Daniel Metzler, Isar's chief executive and co-founder, said in the statement. 'We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.' The company had largely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first complete flight, saying that it would consider a 30-second flight a success. Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all the systems on its in-house-developed launch vehicle. Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 member states. 'Success to get off the pad, and lots of data already obtained. I am sure @isaraerospace will learn a lot," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher posted on X. "Rocket launch is hard. Never give up, move forward with even more energy!'
Euronews
30-03-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Isar Aerospace completes first orbital launch vehicle test flight in Norway
ADVERTISEMENT European private aerospace startup Isar Aerospace successfully completed the first test flight of its Spectrum rocket, despite the rocket crashing to the ground 30 seconds after launch on Sunday. Isar Aerospace, a German startup based in Munich, launched the rocket from the island of Andøya in northern Norway. The rocket took off from the platform at 12:30 pm and flew for about 30 seconds before flipping over and falling back to the ground, causing a powerful explosion. The Spectrum is a 28 metre-long, two-stage rocket specifically designed to place small and medium-sized satellites into orbit. This marks the first attempt to launch a satellite rocket from continental Europe. "Our first test flight met all our expectations and was a great success," said Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of Isar, in a press release. "We had a clean takeoff, 30 seconds of flight, and we were also able to validate our Flight Termination System." The launch was subject to various factors, including weather and safety conditions, and Sunday's takeoff followed a week of adverse conditions that delayed the test last Monday and Saturday due to the weather. The company had widely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first full flight, stating that it would consider a 30-second flight a success. Isar Aerospace aims to gather as much data and experience as possible during the first integrated test of all systems on its in-house developed launch vehicle. Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency (ESA), which is funded by its 23 member states. The ESA has been launching rockets and satellites into orbit for years, but primarily from French Guiana and Cape Canaveral in Florida. This latest attempt therefore marked the first attempt to launch a satellite rocket from within Europe.
The Hill
30-03-2025
- Science
- The Hill
A private European aerospace startup completes the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle
OSLO, Norway (AP) — A rocket by a private European aerospace company launched from Norway on Sunday and crashed into the sea 30 seconds later. Despite the short test flight, Isar Aerospace said that it successfully completed the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle by launching its Spectrum rocket from the island of Andøya in northern Norway. The 28-meter-long (92-foot-long) Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle specifically designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit. The rocket lifted off from the pad at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) Sunday and flew for about a half-minute before the flight was terminated, Isar said. 'This allowed the company to gather a substantial amount of flight data and experience to apply on future missions,' Isar said in a statement. 'After the flight was terminated at T+30 seconds, the launch vehicle fell into the sea in a controlled manner.' Video from the launch shows the rocket taking off from the pad, flying into the air and then coming back down to crash into the sea in a fiery explosion. The launch was subject to various factors, including weather and safety, and Sunday's liftoff followed a week of poor conditions, including a scrubbed launch on March 24 because of unfavorable winds, and on Saturday for weather restrictions. 'Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,' Daniel Metzler, Isar's chief executive and co-founder, said in the statement. 'We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.' The company had largely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first complete flight, saying that it would consider a 30-second flight a success. Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all the systems on its in-house-developed launch vehicle. Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 member states. 'Success to get off the pad, and lots of data already obtained. I am sure @isaraerospace will learn a lot,' ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher posted on X. 'Rocket launch is hard. Never give up, move forward with even more energy!' ESA has been launching rockets and satellites into orbit for years, but mainly from French Guiana — an overseas department of France in South America — and from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A private European aerospace startup completes the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle
OSLO, Norway (AP) — A private European aerospace startup said Sunday it successfully completed the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle from Norway. Isar Aerospace, which is headquartered in Munich, said it launched its Spectrum rocket from the island of Andøya in northern Norway. The 28-meter (92-foot)-long Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle specifically designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit. The rocket lifted off from the pad at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) Sunday and flew for about 30 seconds before the flight was terminated, Isar said. The rocket then fell into the sea. 'Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success," Daniel Metzler, Isar's chief executive and co-founder, said in a news release. "We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.' The launch was subject to various factors, including weather and safety, and Sunday's liftoff followed a week of poor conditions, including a scrubbed launch on Monday due to unfavorable winds and on Saturday for weather restrictions. The company had largely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first complete flight, saying that it would consider a 30-second flight a success. Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all the systems on its in-house-developed launch vehicle. Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 member states. ESA has been launching rockets and satellites into orbit for years, but mainly from French Guiana — an overseas department of France in South America — and from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
