Rocket crashes back to Earth moments after launch

A test rocket that was aimed at kickstarting European satellite launches has come back to Earth with a bit of a bang.

The Spectrum rocket, which had no-one on board, took off from Norway on Sunday but came crashing back down to Earth moments after it took flight.

The rocket marked the first time a rocket capable of reaching orbit was launched from continental Europe excluding Russia.

Despite only being airborne for a few seconds, the engineers were happy with the important data they gained.

The rocket was developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace who had warned the initial launch could end quickly

After ignition of its first stage, Spectrum successfully lifted off. However, its first test flight lasted only approximately 30 seconds.

The rocket was developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace who had warned the initial launch could end quickly.

"Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success," the firm's co-founder Daniel Metzler said.

Data collected from the test flight will be used to hopefully launch satellites from Europe in future.