On Thursday, Andøya Spaceport, Europe’s first and only operational launch port for small satellites officially opened in Andøya (Northern Norway) bringing Norway into what is called “New Space,” the commercial and privatized space age: the new spaceport makes it one of the few countries with its own launch capabilities. The launch site is located at Nordmela and it will become the first launch site of the European launch service company ‘Isar Aerospace’. Sounding rockets for research and technology testing have been launched from Andøya since 1962, making Norway one of the first space nations in the world: launching satellites from Andøya was discussed since the mid-1990s, and now the time has finally come to continue the heritage, with both the right technology and the right market for such launches. The Norwegian Armed Forces are also thrilled to see a direct entrance into the fifth domain: space.
Read more on Romsenter.no and on Highnorthnews.com
