Esrange Space Center or Esrange is Sweden's space and research center located about 40 kilometers east of the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden, owned and operated by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). The base itself covers 20 square kilometers, while the impact area for rockets is 5,600 km2. Located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, the geographic location of Esrange is advantageous thanks to the limited light pollution, allowing for studies of northern lights. The stable climate, limited commercial air traffic and sparsely populated area are further reasons why the location is well suited for space activities.[1]
Esrange was constructed in 1964 by ESRO, which later became European Space Agency by merging with ELDO, the European Launcher Development Organisation. In 1972 the management of Esrange was transferred to the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC).
Today, Esrange is a center for scientific research and commercial spaceflight, through launches of sounding rockets and high-altitude balloons, studies of the aurora borealis, rocket tests, satellite launches and other space-related and atmospheric research. To date, more than 600 sounding rockets have been launched and nearly 700 stratospheric balloons have been released from Esrange. The facility is also the hub of the world's second largest civilian network of satellite ground stations which is used to communicate with, track and downlink data from satellites in orbit.[1]
In January 2023, the first facility in the continental EU for satellite launches was inaugurated at Esrange.[2] The first satellite launch is expected to take place in a few years' time, with U.S. company Firefly Aerospace' Alpha rocket.[3] Esrange is also housing Europe's program for the development of reusable rockets, Themis,[4] run by Ariane Group on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA), set for a first hop-test in 2026.[5]
History
Esrange including safety area, launch sites and satellite ground station
In the 1960s, Esrange was established as an ESRO sounding rocket launching range located in Kiruna.[6] This location was chosen because it was generally agreed that it was important to carry out a sounding rocket programme in the auroral zone, and for this reason it was essential that ESRO equip itself with a suitable range in the northern latitudes. Access to Kiruna was good by air, road and rail, and the launching range was relatively close to the town of Kiruna, Esrange would be located near Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (later renamed to Swedish Institute of Space Physics).
1964 - Construction begun on Esrange, an initiative by ESAs precursor ESRO. To elevate Europe's space capabilities.
1966 - The first rocket launch from Esrange occurred on 19 November 1966 and was a Centaur-1 rocket.[7][8]
1974 - Esrange launched their first stratospheric ballons. the SAMBO-1, it cruised at an altitude of around 15-45 km.[9]
2000 - Swedish Space Corporation acquired USN (Universal Space Network) in the US and started the establishment of SSC's global ground station network.
2004- SSC acquires German company LSE Space, which enabled SSC and Esrange to begin Spacecraft Operations and Engineering Services.
2020 - Testbeds were introduced at Esrange Space Center after the Swedish government's decision to launch satellites from Esrange formalized.
2023 - Marks a historical moment for Esrange when Spaceport Esrange was inaugurated, enabling Esrange's for the first time to be capable for orbital launches.[10]
Esrange Space Center is the name that is currently used for the facility.
Spaceport Esrange is used on the new LC-3 orbital launch site. [11]
Other ways to interpret the name over the years has been EuropeanSpace and Sounding RocketRange, andEuropeanSpaceRange.
Rocket Activities
There had been Swedish rocket activities previously, mainly at Kronogård (18 launches in the period 1961–1964).[6] However, the rocket activity in Sweden did not gain thrust until after ESRO established Esrange in 1964.
During the period 1966–1972 ESRO launched more than 150 rockets from Esrange. Most of these were Centaure, Nike Apache, and Skua rockets reaching 100–220km altitude. They supported many branches of European research, but the emphasis was on atmospheric and ionospheric research.
Sounding rockets
Gradually the smaller rockets were complemented by larger rockets reaching higher altitudes, achieving weightlessness for a few minutes when the rocket is above the parts of the atmosphere giving an appreciable friction. Three main programmes, Texus, Maser, and Maxus currently dominate the rocket activities at Esrange and support microgravity research for ESA and DLR:
Sounding rockets that land in a vast, uninhabited area north of the range. Throughout this area are small shelters that one can use when a rocket campaign is planned.
SSC, jointly with DLR, introduced a new launch service with the Suborbital Express programme launched in 2019. Suborbital Express is now integrating the Maser microgravity programme.[12]
More than 600 rockets have been launched from Esrange since 19 November 1966, On November 11, 2024, Esrange reached the milestone after almost 58 years since operations begun. For information on individual rockets, see the List of rockets launched from Esrange. [13]
On June 27, 2025 the Themis prototype arrived from its as assembly site in Les Mureaux, France to Esrange Space Center east of Kiruna, Sweden and is now being prepared for its first flight test. The first launch is scheduled for 2026.[16][17]
At Esrange it will be tested in a series of flights ensuring that the rocket will land and perform at optimal ability before being transported back to France to perform a full domain flight. It is one of the largest rockets to be launched from Esrange and the first reusable rocket to be launched from European soil. From Esrange it will perform multiple launches in 2026 ranging from low-altitude tests to extended flights.[18]
The tests will be undertaken at the Spaceport Esrange's LC-3 launch pad, where takeoffs and landings will occur on and within a 40x40m area, the rocket will on its first launch do a "hop" of about 20 meters high by doing a VTVL, (vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing) with the help of landing legs that will be installed under the rocket before launch. [19]
Rocket motor tests
Esrange houses several testbed facilities where European rocket companies are developing new rocket models through motor tests and rocket reuse demonstrations. Isar Aerospace is currently conducting motor tests of their rocket Spectrum, while Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is doing the same on their rocket RFA One.[20]
Satellite Services
The arctic latitude of Esrange makes it very suitable for communication with satellites in polar orbits. Esrange Satellite Station is part of a global network with stations in Canada, USA, Chile, Thailand, and Australia, as well as partner stations in other locations. This global network is operated from Esrange, owned by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC).
Esrange Space Center satellite station focuses on data acquisition and processing for remote sensing and scientific missions as well as TT&C support. The station is often used in combination with SSC'sInuvik Satellite Station in northern Canada, to increase coverage opportunities for polar orbiting missions.
Esrange Space Center satellite station includes six independent Telemetry Tracking & Command (TT&C) systems in S-Band (one with receive capability also in the UHF-Band), six multi-frequency receive antenna systems in S/X-Band and an operational building which houses reception system electronics and data processing equipment. Satellite services at Esrange began in 1978.
Satellite Control Services
A number of telecommunication satellites have been controlled through Esrange:
Data have been received at Esrange from more than 50 satellites, including SPOT 1–5, Landsat 2–7, ERS-1–2 and Envisat.
Satellite Launch Capabilities
Ideas to use Esrange Space Center for orbital launches has existed since the inauguration of the facility in 1966, then in the vision of ESRO. As new smaller launch projects started to emerge in the beginning of the new millennia, SSC started to form new ideas to use these to obtain an orbital capability On October 14, 2020, Matilda Ernkrans, the Swedish Space Minister, announced the decision of the Swedish government to establish capability to launch small satellites from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.[21]
The orbital launch site, LC-3, was inaugurated on 13 January 2023 as the ribbon was cut by the Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf, prime minister Ulf Kristersson together with head commissioner President Ursula Von der Leyen.[22] There are currently plans for an orbital launch in 2026 at earliest.
In the summer of 2024, NASA launched a record-breaking stratospheric balloon (1.7 million cubic meters) from Esrange, called Booms. This was the first time such a large balloon had been launched in Europe and the second time ever worldwide.[29]
Interior of a shelter at Vassejávri
Impact
The area of the site is traditional land of the Sami people, particularly for reindeer herding. Shelters have been established for people in the surrounding area to take cover during launches. Increased industrial, military and aeronautic activity in the region has been viewed critically by Sami people.[30][31]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
