Rocket in Norway explodes after liftoff
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The first test flight of Germany-based Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket exploded moments after liftoff Sunday in Norway.
Video of the ship's first test flight shows the rocket launching, and then 18 seconds into the flight, the rocket suffered an anomaly and fell back to Earth.
The ship hit the water and exploded into a huge fireball.
It's unclear what caused the anomaly, but video from the incident shows the rocket tumbling with its engines off, suggesting that flight controllers terminated the flight once the vehicle lost control.
There were no payloads on board for today's test flight.
Isar Aerospace describes the spectrum rocket as a small to medium-lift launch vehicle, capable of delivering payloads up to 2,200 pounds to low-Earth orbit.
