With a new launchpad in Arctic Sweden, the European Union hopes to increase its capacity to launch small satellites into space.
During a visit to Sweden by representatives of the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, European officials and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the EU’s first mainland orbital launch complex on Friday.
The proposed Esrange Space Center near Kiruna should supplement the European Union’s existing launching capabilities in French Guiana.
Small satellites, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, are critical for following natural disasters in real-time and, in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine, for ensuring global security.
“Today, we know that the brave Ukrainian forces effectively use small satellites to track the movements of Russian troops,” she said.
The first satellite will be launched next year.
The overall number of satellites could reach 100,000 by 2040, compared with the present 5,000 operational spacecraft, according to the Swedish Space Corp., or SSC.
“This is a giant leap for SSC, for Sweden, for Europe, and the rest of the world,” SSC chief executive Stefan Gardefjord said.
“Satellites are decisive for many functions of the daily lives of today’s modern world, and the need for them will only increase in the years to come with space playing an even more important role,” he said.
