In a groundbreaking step for the European and international space markets, Swedish Space Agency (SSC) and the South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. have entered into a cooperation agreement to jointly launch satellites from the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden from 2025.
If all goes well, Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 microlauncher will be the first-ever orbital rocket launched from Esrange, according to the press release.
“The partnership secures the final component to complete SSC’s satellite launch service from Esrange since the inauguration of the launch complex in 2023,” Philip Ohlsson, chief communications officer for SSC, told Space.com in an email.
“The new partnership will add launch capabilities that currently do not exist in mainland Europe,” Ohlsson continued.
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Esrange, Europe’s first land-based orbital spaceport, is located far above the Swedish Arctic Circle, about 45 kilometers north of Kiruna. Currently, it serves as a hub for launching sounding rockets, conducting microgravity research, and conducting high-altitude balloon experiments for astronomy and atmospheric studies. Esrange also conducts drop tests for spacecraft and aircraft, tests rocket engines and fuels, and hosts one of the world’s largest civilian ground stations. As the leader of the ‘European Space Race’, the spaceport is developing new launch pads to support orbital launch vehicles and reusable rocket tests.
Charlotta Sund, CEO of SSC, expressed her excitement about the new partnership: “I am very pleased to announce this historic collaboration, our first orbital launch partnership. The market demand for this service is enormous and it is needed now, by both European and international satellite owners ,” Sund said in an SSC press release statement.
“With this partnership, SSC can offer a competitive commercial European orbital launch service at our spaceport in Sweden. This is exciting news for us and for the global space market.” Sund continued.
Perigee Aerospace’s Blue Whale 1 rocket, which will soon be ready for orbital missions, will play a crucial role in this collaboration. Yoon Shin, CEO and Founder of Perigee Aerospace, highlighted the synergy between the two companies: “SSC has an impressive 50-year launch heritage and the new orbital launch infrastructure at Esrange lays the foundation for years to come.
“By deploying our Blue Whale 1 rocket, which will soon be ready for orbital missions, we will work with SSC to create a state-of-the-art orbital launch service, including onward delivery through SSC’s ground service offering. Following a successful orbital launch from South Korea next year, we look forward to beginning this historic journey at Esrange.”
The Blue Whale 1 is a two-stage launch vehicle with the capacity to place up to 200 kg (440 lbs) into a 500 km (310 mi) sun-synchronous orbit. This makes it an ideal choice for a wide range of satellite missions. The collaboration with SSC aims to develop a service concept with a shared loading space on board Blue Whale 1 to make room for both companies.
Despite being located high on the Arctic Circle, where winters can be brutal, Esrange plans to launch year-round, starting with a few launches per year and then slowly increasing the cadence.
“We think this is a realistic approach as we focus on creating a standardized launch service around a sustainable business model. As we continue to develop, we plan to increase the number of launches annually. But there is no real limit to the number of launches that can be carried out from Esrange – the market will guide us in our developments.” Ohlsson told Space.com.