Germany's first private space rocket crashed 18 seconds after launch
The Spektr rocket of the German startup Isar Aerospace crashed 18 seconds into flight after launching from the launch pad of the Norwegian spaceport of Annea. This was reported by the Handelsblatt newspaper on March 30.
It is reported that for unknown reasons, the rocket began to chatter during the planned turn maneuver, after which it fell on its side and began to fall to the ground.
Ulrich Walter, a former astronaut and former professor of space technology at the Technical University of Munich, stated on the eve of the launch that if the first attempt fails, then this is normal, because few companies can successfully send rockets the first time.
Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar Aerospace, stated that if the rocket explodes not on the launch pad at launch, but after taking off, then it can be considered a success.
The launch was originally scheduled to take place on March 24, but it was canceled due to bad weather.
Spectrum is a two—stage rocket designed to launch small and medium-sized satellites into orbit. The payload capacity will be 1 ton when launching cargo into low-Earth orbit, 700 kg when launching into a solar-geosynchronous orbit.
The rocket is being developed by the startup Isar Aerospace, founded seven years ago by graduates of the Technical University of Munich. The startup was able to attract financing in the amount of about 400 million euros, part of the money was also received from the structures of the European Union and the German government.
Earlier, on March 15, SpaceX founder and head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, announced that a spacecraft with a humanoid robot, Optimus, would go to Mars at the end of 2026. The entrepreneur also clarified that if this landing is successful, then the disembarkation of people can begin as early as 2029.
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