Spectrum lifted off from Norway’s picturesque Andøya Spaceport and cleared the launch pad. But after about 30 seconds, the vehicle activated its flight termination system, shutting down its engines and sending it tumbling nose-down into the sea “in a controlled manner,” Isar said.

The first flight of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket didn't last long on Sunday. The booster's nine engines switched off as the rocket cartwheeled upside-down and fell a short distance from its Arctic launch pad in Norway, punctuating the abbreviated test flight with a spectacular fiery crash into the sea.

Isar Aerospace managed to launch its Spectrum rocket this past weekend after several aborted attempts, only for it to crash shortly after liftoff in a fiery implosion in the nearby ocean. The rocket appeared to begin a pitch maneuver to push toward its planned retrograde orbit,