A highly anticipated European rocket test went up in smoke Sunday, when a German-made vehicle designed to reach orbit fell into the ocean just seconds after launch. The incident reinforced what many in the aerospace world already knew — Europe is still far behind the United States in delivering spaceflight results.
The Spectrum rocket, developed by Germany’s Isar Aerospace, was launched from the Andoya Spaceport in Arctic Norway. Instead of soaring skyward, it began malfunctioning almost immediately and exploded in the sea within 40 seconds. The company insisted the launch was a success based on data collection.
Europe: “Trump is bad—we don't need America anymore”
Also Europe trying to launch its first orbital rocket 👇🏻🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZOdwn4JWZH
— Majority Unsilenced (@MajUnsilenced) March 30, 2025
“This was a great success,” said CEO Daniel Metzler, who added that the company expected issues and learned what it needed from the brief flight.
No satellite or payload was onboard, and the goal was to test flight systems and the rocket’s termination function. Despite the fireball ending, the company touted it as a leap forward in its mission to make Europe less dependent on foreign launch sites.
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— The Blue State Refugee (@TheMigrantKing) March 30, 2025
But the crash told a different story. While Europe talks up its autonomy and often criticizes American policies, it continues to rely on the U.S. for breakthroughs in advanced sectors like space technology.
The European Space Agency still uses launch sites in South America and Florida. Meanwhile, American companies like SpaceX dominate the industry, launching hundreds of rockets and even recovering them for future use.
In 2023, Virgin Orbit attempted a launch from the U.K. That effort folded soon after. Europe’s track record remains spotty while American firms push further ahead each year.
The Spectrum rocket had already been delayed multiple times due to weather, and company officials admitted ahead of the test that they did not expect to reach orbit.
Though Isar Aerospace framed the test as progress, the crash reinforced Europe’s role as a space underdog — still dependent on U.S. advancements while struggling to achieve lift-off from its own soil.
