After years of preparation and construction, mainland EU’s first orbital launch complex, Spaceport Esrange, was officially inaugurated today by the Swedish Head of State, King Carl XVI Gustaf, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson.
The European Union introduced a new and long-awaited critical asset to its shared space infrastructure, offering an independent European gateway to Space from northernmost Sweden.
“This spaceport offers an independent European gateway to space. It is exactly the infrastructure we need, not only to continue to innovate but also to further explore the final frontier.” -Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission”.
“Kiruna is already one of Europe’s strategic gateways to Space. And the new launch complex at Esrange is a critical asset that will strengthen Europe’s capability to launch satellites and improve our space competitiveness. I am certain that this spaceport will strengthen Sweden’s active role in space, involved in many of ESA’s flagship projects and through our ground station here in Kiruna,“ said Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, ESA.
“Security, competitiveness, sustainability and our democratic values are key to a stronger Europe and a better world. Space enables all of them. With Spaceport Esrange, EU gets a strategic asset which provides independent access to Space. This will be instrumental for reaching the EU and UN sustainability goals as well as strategies within security and defense,“ said Anna Kinberg Batra, Chair of the Board of Swedish Space Corporation, SSC.
So far, the space center, which was put into operation in 1966 and is located almost 40 kilometers east of Kiruna, has mainly been used for launching high-altitude research rockets and high-altitude balloons . The first satellite launch is now planned for the end of 2023 .