Watch: rocket explodes during test for UK’s first vertical launch

A rocket engine has exploded during tests for a landmark space flight from the UK. The fire erupted at SaxaVord Spaceport, which aims to host the first vertical launch into orbit from Western Europe. German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has exclusive access to the spaceport’s first launch pad. On Monday evening, RFA planned to complete a nine-engine test of its launch vehicle. But disaster soon struck. At 22.42 CEST, the company announced that an “anomaly” had destroyed the first stage of the RFA ONE rocket. Footage of the incident shows the engine sending a fireball into the night sky. A longer video from…

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