European orbital rocket crashes soon after launch

OSLO: The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off on Sunday, in a closely watched test for the continent’s bid to build a new space economy.

The Spectrum rocket, developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace, started smoking from its sides, then crashed back to Earth with a powerful explosion just after launching from Norway’s Andoya Spaceport in the Arctic, in live video broadcast on YouTube.

Orbital rockets are designed to place loads...