Germany-based Isar Aerospace attempted to launch the first orbital rocket from European soil on Sunday morning (March 30).

Isar Aerospace's debut launch didn't even make it a whole minute off the ground, but that hasn't stopped the company from declaring its SpaceX rival a success.

A test rocket aimed at kickstarting satellite launches from Europe fell to the ground and exploded 40 seconds after takeoff from a Norwegian space port on Sunday, in what German startup Isar Aerospace ...

A German rocket ... 2 has exploded just 40 seconds after launching from a Norwegian space port. The unmanned Spectrum rocket was seen wildly veering off course within seconds of its launch ...

A test rocket aimed at building the ability to launch satellites from Europe crashed ... and then crashed back to Earth with a powerful explosion after launching from Norway's Andoya Spaceport ...

Now, the inaugural test flight for a space startup ended in disaster when the first orbital rocket launch on mainland Europe exploded seconds after takeoff. A test launch from space startup Isar ...