The private aerospace startup ends the first test flight from its orbital launch vehicle

Oslo, Norway – A private European aerospace startup said on Sunday that it had managed the first test flight to its orbital launch vehicle from Norway.

Isar Aerospace, whose headquarters are in Munich, said that it has launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Island in northern Norway.

The 28 -meter (92 feet) spectrum is a two -step launch vehicle specially designed to put orbit in orbit. The rocket took neckline from the PAD at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) on Sunday and stole for about 30 seconds before the flight, said Isar. The rocket then fell into the sea.

“Our first test flight met all of our expectations, achieving great success,” said Daniel Metzler, Managing Director of Isar and Co-founder, in a press release. “We had a clean take -off, 30 seconds of flight and we were even able to validate our flight termination system.”

The launch was the subject of various factors, including weather and security, and Sunday take -off followed a week of poor conditions, including a launch rubbed on Monday due to unfavorable winds and Saturday for weather restrictions.

The company had largely excluded the possibility that the rocket reaches orbit during its first full flight, claiming that it would consider a 30 second flight as a success. Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all systems on its launch vehicle developed internally.

Isar Aerospace is distinct from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 Member States.

ESA is launching rockets and satellites in orbit for years, but mainly French Guiana – an overseas department of France in South America – and Cape Canaveral in Florida.