Isar Aerospace, based in Germany, is the first in a crop of new European rocket companies to attempt an orbital launch. If all went according to plan, Isar's Spectrum rocket would have arced to the north from Andøya Spaceport in Norway and reached a polar orbit.

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.

Europe took a significant step in its aerospace ambitions with the first test launch of German start-up Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket. View on euronews

A first-of-its-kind European rocket launch ended in the Norwegian Sea when Isar Aerospace's unmanned rocket exploded just 40 seconds after takeoff.

A test rocket developed by a German start-up crashed into the sea about half a minute after taking off from Norway on March 30. Though the rocket, called Spectrum, did not reach space, the test marks the first orbital flight outside of Russia launched from continental Europe.

A test rocket intended to boost Europe's satellite launch capabilities crashed into the sea moments after lift-off - though the firm responsible claims it was all part of the plan. The unmanned Spectrum rocket,