In a groundbreaking move for the European and international space market, Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. concluded 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 orbital rocket launched from Esrange, according to the press release.
“The partnership provides the final component to complete SSC’s satellite launch service from Esrange from the opening of the launch complex in 2023,” Philip Olson, head of communications for SSC, said in an email to Space.com.
“The new partnership will add launch capabilities that do not currently exist in continental Europe,” continued Olsson.
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Esrange, Europe’s first continental orbit spaceport, is located far above the Swedish Arctic Circle, approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) north of Kiruna. It currently serves as a center for launching sounding rockets, conducting microgravity research, and conducting high-altitude balloon experiments for astronomy and atmospheric research. Erange also conducts launch tests for spacecraft and aircraft, tests rocket engines and propellants, and hosts one of the largest civilian ground stations in the world. Leading the way in the European Space Race, the spaceport is developing new launch pads to support orbital launch vehicles and test reusable rockets.
Charlotte 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 huge and it is needed now, both by European and international satellite owners,” said Sund at SSC press release.
“With this partnership, SSC will be able to 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, soon to be ready for orbital missions, will play a crucial role in this collaboration. Yun 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.
“With our Blue Whale 1 rocket soon ready for orbital missions, we will partner 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.”
Blue Whale 1 is a two-stage launch vehicle with the capacity to place up to 440 lb (200 kg) into a 310-mile (500 km) sun-synchronous orbit. This makes it an ideal choice for a wide range of satellite missions. The collaboration with SSC aims to develop a shared payload space service concept on board Blue Whale 1 to free up space for both companies.
Despite being located high in the Arctic Circle, where winters can be brutal, Esrange plans to launch year-round, starting with a few launches a year and then slowly increasing the cadence.
“We believe this is a realistic approach while focusing on creating a standardized startup service around a sustainable business model.” As we grow, we plan to increase the number of launches per year. But there’s no real limit to how many launches can be done from Erange — the market will guide us in our developments,” Olsson told Space.com.
