The Germany company's first Spectrum rocket lifted off Sunday morning (March 30) from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway on the first-ever orbital launch attempt from European soil.

German startup Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from the Andøya spaceport on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. ET for its first test flight. The rocket successfully lifted off from its launchpad and spent around 30 seconds in the air before it started falling back down toward the Arctic Ocean,

Germany's Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of its Spectrum orbital rocket from a spaceport in Norway Sunday, deeming the launch a success even though the rocket crashed into the sea and exploded about 30 seconds after liftoff.

The Spectrum rocket's first test flight lasted 30 seconds but researchers say it will still provide useful data.

A highly anticipated test flight aimed at launching satellites from Europe ended when Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket exploded 40 seconds after liftoff from a Norwegian spaceport. Despite the fiery crash,

If officials at Isar Aerospace were able to pick the outcome of their first test flight, it wouldn't be this. However, the result has precedent. The first launch of SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket in 2006 ended in similar fashion.