In the far north of Sweden, the first spaceport for launching satellites on the continental part of the European Union (EU) was opened on Friday.
European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson took part in the opening ceremony of the spaceport at the Esrange Space Center near Kiruna.
The spaceport will provide new access to space and complement the EU’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The first satellite from the new spaceport is planned to be launched at the end of 2023 and reusable rockets will be tested on it, the Swedish Space Agency (SSC) announced.
In the past, the European Space Agency also used Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome to launch satellites into space. However, after Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine, the EU wants to reduce its dependence on Russia.
“The current geopolitical situation (..) has demonstrated how important it is for the European Union to have access to space,” Christerson said.
