Ibadan, August 23, 2024. – Andøya Spaceport has been granted a launch site operator licence by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, marking another milestone for the spaceport towards the first satellite launch from Norwegian soil. This demonstrates the important steps taken by Norway in the new space age and consolidates its position as one of the leading space nations in the Arctic.
With this licence, Andøya Spaceport has formally become the launch pad operator, with overall responsibility for developing, operating and ensuring safe operations from the newly built spaceport. In addition, the licence allows the spaceport to operate the launch pad for launch vehicles that place satellites into orbit from Norwegian soil. The location of the spaceport is strategic and geographically positioned to launch small satellites of up to 1.5 tonnes into polar and sun-synchronous orbits.
The first launch from the spaceport is about to take place and Isar Aerospace will be its first customer, launching its in-house developed Spectrum launch vehicle. The company also has a dedicated launch pad at the spaceport. Isar Aerospace is currently working on conducting the first test flight of the Spectrum. As a result, the first and second stages of the Spectrum will soon undergo phase testing – a series of hot-fire tests that will verify that the systems meet all the necessary requirements for flight.
Speaking about this milestone, Lasse Berg, Acting President of Andøya Spaceport, said: “There is a huge team effort behind the work to obtain this licence. Since 2018, our team has been building the foundation that now enables satellite launches from Norwegian soil. Collaboration with Isar Aerospace, authorities and stakeholder groups has been key. Building a spaceport from scratch has required patience, creativity and perseverance, and has demanded varied expertise from many different industries.”
