Two small space centers in northern Sweden and Norway are rushing to complete satellite launch facilities, aiming to launch satellites from European territory.
With President Donald Trump's "America First" policy and the conflict in Ukraine raising concerns about dependence, Europe is looking to increase its independence in space and defense.
Currently, the only region in Europe with a satellite launch site is Guiana in France in South America, about 7,000 km from Paris. Although it has recently successfully launched the Ariane 6 missile, this type cannot be reused and has high launch costs, not meeting the growing commercial and military demand. As a result, Esrange facilities in Sweden and Andoya in Norway are expected to fill the void.
Esrange is located near the city of Kiruna, in the northernmost remote area of the Arctic cycle, providing a deserted area of up to 5,200 km2, convenient for recovering pieces of missiles and ensuring flight safety. The center, a member of the Swedish Space Corporation, has begun preparing for Orbiter launches with a new launcher system and research facilities.
Andoya, located on an island in northern Norway, majority owned by the state, successfully test-led a small missile from German company ISAR Aerospace. The missile, carrying a payload of about 1,000 kg, flew for 30 seconds before falling into the sea. ISAR said that demand from ministries and defenses has skyrocketed and the launch schedule has been filled despite no successful commercial launches.
These centers are all collaborating with partners such as Firefly of the US and Perigee of Korea. Firefly plans to launch from Esrange in 2026 and have a rapid response service, which can launch missiles in just 24 hours when it needs to replace emergency satellites. A NATO official assessed that Europe needs to set more bold timelines to ensure autonomy in the universe.
Both Esrange and Andoya are aiming to develop reusable missiles. At Esrange, ISAR's system is expected to be tested next year. The entire facility could be ready within a year, Esrange said.
While the US will carry out 154 launches in 2024, Europe will only have three. With only 10% of the total 143 billion USD of global public investment in the space sector, Europe is facing a major challenge if it does not continue to fall behind in this technology race.
