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.

A private European aerospace startup said Sunday it successfully launched the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle from Norway. Isar Aerospace, which is headquartered in Munich, said it launched its Spectrum rocket from the island of Andøya in northern Norway.