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, creating a massive fireball over the water.

Developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace, the Spectrum rocket, started smoking from its sides after being launched in the air. Isar Aerospace did not expect to reach orbit with the launch. The company further stated that the two-stage rocket crashed into the sea and that "the launch pad appears to be intact.