Early Morning Launch at Esrange Space Centre
At 04:00 on a snow-covered hill in Swedish Lapland, approximately 120 miles (200 km) north of the Arctic Circle, a countdown echoed through a Tannoy: "Three, two, one." A rocket launched from a pad, ascending into the sky and illuminating the dark valley below. Moments later, a second rocket motor ignited with a deafening roar.
This scene unfolded at the Esrange Space Centre near Kiruna, operated by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC Space). Since the 1960s, over 600 rockets have been launched from this site, primarily sub-orbital rockets used for scientific research and spaceflight testing.
The rocket observed was built by scientists from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) Mapheus project. It flew for 14 minutes, exiting the atmosphere and reaching an altitude close to 260 km.
"It was a good flight, we're really relieved,"
beamed campaign manager Thomas Voigtmann.
The rocket's mission was to provide several minutes of microgravity or weightlessness, carrying experiments designed to help researchers study biological cells, materials, and other processes.
Esrange's Emerging Role in Orbital Launches
Esrange has also become a significant contender in the Europe-wide race to deliver orbital rocket launches.
"Within a couple of years, we will have the first satellite launch from here,"
said SSC business development director Mattias Abrahamsson.
The new orbital launchpad at Esrange was inaugurated in early 2023 but has encountered delays. Two clients are preparing rockets to carry satellites into orbit from northern Sweden: South Korea's Perigee and the American company Firefly, which achieved a lunar landing last year.
SSC is expanding infrastructure tailored to Firefly's Alpha rocket, including specialized fueling, security, and safety systems, according to Katarina Lahti from SSC's orbital launch and rocket test division.
Lahti also highlighted the signing of a technology safeguard agreement between the US and Sweden, enabling American companies to transfer advanced space technology to Sweden, marking a major milestone.
Esrange is currently hosting ground tests for Themis, Europe's first reusable rocket, and engine testing for German start-up Isar Aerospace.
Satellite Demand and European Spaceports
The demand for internet connectivity, communications, and mapping has driven a rapid increase in satellites orbiting Earth. A recent report in Nature projects the number of satellites to reach half a million by the late 2030s.
"There's around 10,000 satellites orbiting right now. The plan is to go to about 40-50,000 satellites in just some years,"
explained Abrahamsson, standing near several large antennae.
This surge has attracted commercial companies to a sector once dominated by government agencies and spurred several spaceport projects across Europe, from the Azores in Portugal to Norway's far north.
"This is a big market and there's room for all of us,"
said Lahti, who hopes SSC's 60-year rocket legacy, favorable northern location for polar orbit satellite delivery, and stable weather conditions will help secure orbital business.
Elsewhere, the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) operates on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria, while start-up EuroSpaceport plans orbital launches from a ship anchored in the North Sea, 50 km off Denmark's coast.
In Scotland's Shetland Islands, SaxaVord is the UK's first licensed vertical spaceport, collaborating with companies including Germany's Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and HyImpulse.
Challenges and Competition Among European Spaceports
Despite ambitious plans, some competitors have faced setbacks. Virgin Orbit, founded by Sir Richard Branson, ceased operations following a failed 2023 mission from Cornwall, England. Similarly, Scottish rocket manufacturer Orbex, which intended to launch low-cost rockets from SaxaVord, recently appointed administrators.
"Spaceports will be like seaports, and you will need multiple for the amount of traffic, but also for resilience,"
said Hermann Ludwig Moeller, director of the European Space Policy Institute.
"You will have winners and losers,"
he added. "It's not so much the rocket [technology]. It is really the market."
"There are two or three [spaceports] that you could imagine will succeed,"
Moeller told the BBC, predicting a successful European continental orbital launch "this year."
Norway's Andøya Spaceport Leading the Race
Located on a remote island 300 kilometers above the Arctic Circle, Norway's Andøya Spaceport is currently the European frontrunner.
Isar Aerospace launched its 28-meter Spectrum rocket from Andøya last year, but the flight lasted only 30 seconds before crashing into the Norwegian Sea.
The Munich-based company is targeting another launch attempt in March. If successful, it would represent a significant advance for Europe's commercial space ambitions.
"Our goal with this mission is to demonstrate real progress,"
said CEO and co-founder Daniel Metzler. "To achieve that, we will once again push our systems to their limits."
Geopolitical Context and Strategic Importance
The evolving geopolitical and security landscape has prompted European leaders to reconsider their approach to space with increased urgency, aiming to establish greater autonomy.
Abrahamsson emphasized the strategic importance of having orbital launch capabilities on European soil.
"We need to have the capacity in Europe to do it on our own."
Lahti added that this capability enables rapid deployment or replacement of critical systems during crises or threats, strengthening European defense capabilities.
Due to sanctions and the invasion of Ukraine, European missions have not used Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a decade.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) facilities at Kourou in French Guiana can handle about a dozen orbital launches annually. ESA also relies on US launch sites, including NASA's Cape Canaveral and SpaceX's Starbase.
Kourou's proximity to the equator offers launch advantages, but European-built rockets must be shipped thousands of kilometers and reassembled, adding logistical challenges.
Ariane 6, Europe's most powerful rocket to date, launched from Kourou earlier this month, carrying satellites for Amazon's Leo constellation, a competitor to Elon Musk's Starlink.
"There's a lot going on in space for internet connectivity,"
said Moeller, speaking from French Guiana after witnessing the Ariane 6 launch. "It is part of what I call the 'internet age' of space."
"It will be a competition between Amazon Leo and Starlink. You will also see Chinese developments, and maybe European developments eventually,"
he added.
Of the 319 successful orbital launches in 2025, only seven were from Europe (Kourou), compared to 189 from the US and 90 from China.
Moeller noted Europe has the "know-how" and "engineering skill," but despite increased investment, European spending remains a fraction of US expenditure, leaving Europe still catching up.
Looking Ahead for Esrange and Europe
Back at Esrange, Matias Abrahamsson expressed confidence despite competition from other European spaceports.
"Every site is needed because there's that many satellites that need to be launched, and that many rockets that are being developed."
