The first European space complex to launch a satellite was born in Sweden

As the commercial space race gets hotter and low earth orbit is filled with satellites and space litter, Europe is also making its own space race move. In Sweden In fact, a center project to launch Commercial satellitesRestoration of a space base in the Arctic desert.

The new satellite launch column will be built near Kiruna, Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle. Supervised by Swedish Space Foundation, The public property of the Arctic Space Research Center which was first delivered to Sweden by the European Space Agency in 1972 will be refurbished and revitalized, where it will crystallize l’Esrange Space Center.

Advantages of launching a missile from the North Pole

Building a commercial satellite launch center in Sweden has its advantages. Taking off from above the Arctic Circle, in a relatively remote area like Esrange, already provides one Landing area of ​​5,000 square kilometers. One aspect is certainly not to be underestimated, especially in light of European plans to test the first reusable missile in Europe by the end of 2022.

Furthermore it Launch in polar orbitAt the North and South Poles, the satellites give a more complete view of the Earth, and it requires less energy for the satellite to actually enter space. Furthermore it The region around Kiruna It has been used by Sweden in a number of space research projects over the years and the country’s best scientific minds have become familiar with the area thanks toSwedish Institute for Space Physics.

Sweden starts the space ports race

There is also a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the institute, as well as a specialized program in Luleå University of Technology and Aerospace High School in Kiruna. So it looks like the next generation of rocket and space scientists will be trained here.

So the whole region is preparing to make Sweden and Esrang the main launch pad for orbital missiles in Europe. Previously Several German missile startups They are on site to study the structure and conduct their experiments. More will come once the center is complete and is able to launch rockets into Earth orbit, along with their precious payloads of satellites.

The Swedish Space Foundation believes that the ambitious Esrange project is vital not only to Sweden’s ambitions, but also as seats for the future of Europe. In fact, he stated to Times, Stefan GustafsonVice President of the Swedish Space Foundation, Europe really needs to build infrastructure to access space. We can provide an adequate space base. What results will be clearer by the end of 2022. But if Sweden’s plan to launch satellites into orbit The trade will pay off, so don’t be surprised if space airports are going to be the next big infrastructure frontier.

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