Europe looks to Nordic Space Race to reduce US dependence

Two small spaceports located in the far north of Sweden, Norway and Finland are rushing to launch the very first satellites launched from Europe. The region is looking to reduce its dependence on U.S. companies.

The "America First" policies of U.S. president Donald Trump and the conflict in Ukraine has prompted Europe's independent capabilities to be boosted in many areas, including defence operations and space operations.

Europe is scrambling to find alternative solutions amid fears that Elon Musk, Trump's former ally, could restrict Ukraine's ability to access SpaceX's Starlink satellites which are crucial for the country's communication.

There's still a mountain of work to do.

The U.S. will launch 154 pieces of hardware into space in 2024 while Europe will only manage three. An EU study shows that Europe only accounted for 10% of the $143 billion global public investment made in space ventures in 2017.

There are also challenges with the trend toward lower earth orbit satellites, which offer cheaper connections and better coverage but must be deployed in greater numbers to maximize coverage.

Goldman Sachs estimates that 70,000 LEO Satellites could be launched within the next five-year period, which is a tenfold rise.

Andrius Kubilius is the European Defence and Space Commissioner. He said: "We have lost out to Elon Musk, for example, and we definitely need our own autonomous launching capabilities."

"That is why it's very important to develop launch possibilities on the European continental, both in Sweden, and Norway."

The only spaceport in Europe is located in French Guiana (South America), about 7,000 km (4,350 mi) away from Paris. The European Space Agency successfully launched the Ariane 6 rocket earlier this year from French Guiana, South America. This was more than 10years after it had been commissioned. It also took five years longer than originally planned.

Ariane 6 can carry more payloads per rocket, but it is not reusable. It also costs more per launch. This is not enough to meet the commercial and military requirements of Europe in the coming years.

The Nordic spaceports are a promising solution.

RARE ADVANTAGE

Esrange Space Center is located 200 km above the Arctic Circle, near the border of Sweden, Finland and Norway, where they converge. It's a unique space centre in Europe, offering 5,200 sq. km. (2,008 sq. miles) of uninhabited land.

Esrange, surrounded by bogs, rivers, and the snow-capped peaks of Sweden’s tallest mountain, is located near Kiruna. This city has one of the largest underground iron ore mining operations in the world, and provides easy access to an airport and railroads.

This area is more than three-times the size of London and only shared by the spaceport, the Sami indigenous people of Sweden, and their reindeer herds, so it's ideal for recovering rocket components. The area is relatively light-polluted and easy to shut down to air traffic.

Lennart Poomaa, the head of Esrange Space Centre, said that the large area on land is "unique". The center has 130 employees.

Esrange, a part of the Swedish Space Corporation owned by the government, was founded in 1964. It launched its first research rocket, a sounding rocket, a few years later. In 2023, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, inaugurated it as mainland Europe's very first orbital launch facility.

The preparations for orbital launches have begun. A new set of larger launch pads, research facilities and hangars are being prepared.

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It is Europe's best chance to secure independent access in the future. Andoya Spaceport is owned by the Norwegian government, with Kongsberg owning 10%.

Andoya carried out the first test launch in March of a small rocket manufactured by German startup ISAR Aerospace, which can carry a load of up to 1,000 kilograms (2205 pounds). The rocket flew for about 30 seconds, before it fell into the sea. It was considered a success.

Daniel Metzler is the CEO and cofounder of ISAR. He said that the interest shown by defence ministries over the past six months was huge. ISAR flights are already booked for the next few years even before the first successful orbital launch.

"Truthfully, I believe that the main driver of Trump's re-election was probably the most important." Trump has probably done more to defend Europe than any European politician prior to him. He said that it created an urgent feeling.

ISAR aims to have the first commercial flight next year.

TIMELINES AGGRESSIVES

Andoya was visited by a NATO delegation this month. It has a license for 30 launches a year. Esrange does not have a specific target, but it will fill a need that NATO has for rapid launch capability.

Esrange, unlike Andoya has chosen to use existing hardware. It signed contracts with South Korea's Perigee and the U.S. rocket maker Firefly, giving it a variety of options.

Firefly is a rocket that will launch from Esrange in 2026. It has a rapid-response service, allowing it to launch rockets into the space within 24 hours to respond to urgent needs such as replacing an old satellite.

Unnamed NATO official: "I believe Europe should look at a similar or even more aggressive timetable."

ISAR, the ISAR rocket that will be tested in Esrange, is being developed by all rocket suppliers.

There is still much to be done across the board.

Poromaa, Esrange's Poromaa, said that "you need to put all the technical systems into place. Then there will be a great deal of testing and trials." "Within about a year, we should have the base fully operational."

(source: Reuters)