Esrange Space Center orEsrange isSweden's space andresearch center located about 40 kilometers east of the town ofKiruna in northernSweden, owned and operated by theSwedish Space Corporation (SSC). The base itself covers 20 square kilometers, while the impact area for rockets is 5,600 km2. Located 200 km north of theArctic Circle, the geographic location of Esrange is advantageous thanks to the limited light pollution, allowing for studies ofnorthern lights. The stable climate, limited commercial air traffic and sparsely populated area are further reasons why the location is well suited for space activities.[1]
Esrange was constructed in 1964 byESRO, which later becameEuropean Space Agency by merging withELDO, the European Launcher Development Organisation. In 1972 the management of Esrange was transferred to theSwedish Space Corporation (SSC).
Today, Esrange is a center for scientific research and commercial spaceflight, through launches ofsounding rockets andhigh-altitude balloons, studies of theaurora borealis, rocket tests, satellite launches and other space-related and atmospheric research. To date, more than 600sounding rockets have been launched and nearly 700stratospheric balloons have been released from Esrange. The facility is also the hub of the world's second largest civilian network ofsatellite ground stations which is used to communicate with, track and downlink data from satellites in orbit.[1]
In January 2023, the first facility in the continental EU for satellite launches was inaugurated at Esrange.[2] The first satellite launch is expected to take place in a few years' time, with U.S. companyFirefly Aerospace'Alpha rocket.[3] Esrange is also housing Europe's program for the development of reusable rockets, Themis,[4] run byAriane Group on behalf of theEuropean Space Agency (ESA), set for a first hop-test in 2026.[5]
In the 1960s, Esrange was established as anESRO sounding rocket launching range located inKiruna.[6] This location was chosen because it was generally agreed that it was important to carry out asounding rocket programme in theauroral zone, and for this reason it was essential that ESRO equip itself with a suitable range in thenorthern latitudes. Access to Kiruna was good by air, road and rail, and the launching range was relatively close to the town of Kiruna, Esrange would be located near Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (later renamed toSwedish Institute of Space Physics).
1964 - Construction begun on Esrange, an initiative byESAs precursorESRO. To elevateEurope's space capabilities.
1966 - The firstrocket launch from Esrange occurred on 19 November 1966 and was a Centaur-1 rocket.[7][8]
1972 - Full ownership and operations of the range was transferred to theSwedish Space Corporation.
1974 - Esrange launched their firststratospheric ballons. the SAMBO-1, it cruised at an altitude of around 15-45 km.[9]
2000 - Swedish Space Corporation acquired USN (Universal Space Network) in theUS and started the establishment of SSC's global ground station network.
2004- SSC acquiresGerman company LSE Space, which enabled SSC and Esrange to begin Spacecraft Operations and Engineering Services.
2020 - Testbeds were introduced at Esrange Space Center after theSwedish government's decision to launch satellites from Esrange formalized.
2023 - Marks a historical moment for Esrange when Spaceport Esrange was inaugurated, enabling Esrange's for the first time to be capable fororbital launches.[10]
2025 - The first Europeanreusable rocket was transported to Esrange to conduct in 2026 a series of VTVL, (Vertical takeoff, vertical landing) for the first time in European history. Thefirst-stage rocket is theThemis T1H demonstrator assembled and constructed byArianeGroup.
The name of the facility was originallyESRANGE, which was an abbreviation forESRO Sounding Rocket Launching Range.
When theSwedish Space Corporation, (SSC) took over the range, its name becameEsrange (with capital 'E' only).
Esrange Space Center is the name that is currently used for the facility.
Spaceport Esrange is used on the new LC-3 orbital launch site.[11]
Other ways to interpret the name over the years has beenEuropeanSpace and Sounding RocketRange, andEuropeanSpaceRange.
There had been Swedish rocket activities previously, mainly atKronogård (18 launches in the period 1961–1964).[6] However, the rocket activity in Sweden did not gain thrust until afterESRO established Esrange in 1964.
During the period 1966–1972ESRO launched more than 150 rockets from Esrange. Most of these wereCentaure,Nike Apache, andSkua rockets reaching 100–220 km altitude. They supported many branches of European research, but the emphasis was on atmospheric and ionospheric research.
Gradually the smaller rockets were complemented by larger rockets reaching higher altitudes, achievingweightlessness for a few minutes when the rocket is above the parts of the atmosphere giving an appreciable friction. Three main programmes,Texus,Maser, andMaxus currently dominate the rocket activities at Esrange and supportmicrogravity research forESA andDLR:
| Programme | Rocket motor | Peak altitude | Payload mass | Microgravity time | Period | Launches | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texus | Skylark 7,VSB-30 | 250–300 km | 330–400 kg | 6 minutes | 1977– | 60 | DLR andESA |
| Maser | Black Brant,Skylark 7,VSB-30 | 250–300 km | 330–400 kg | 6 minutes | 1987– | 15 | ESA |
| Maxus | Castor 4B | 700–720 km | 800 kg | 12–13 minutes | 1991– | 8 | ESA andDLR |
| Mini-Texus | Nike Orion | 120–150 km | 160–200 kg | 3–4 minutes | 1993–1998 | 6 | DLR andESA |
| Rexus | Improved Orion | 80–110 km | 100kg | 2 minutes | 1995– | 32 | DLR,ESA,ZARM |
| MAPHEUS | Nike-Orion,VS-30,Improved Malemute/Improved Malemute,Red Kite/Improved Malemute | 150-250 km | - | 6 minutes | 2009- | 14 | DLR |
| SERA | Cesaroni Pro 98-6G | 5-10 km | - | - | 2014- | 4 | CNES |
SSC, jointly withDLR, introduced a new launch service with the Suborbital Express programme launched in 2019. Suborbital Express is now integrating theMaser microgravity programme.[12]
More than 600 rockets have been launched from Esrange since 19 November 1966, On November 11, 2024, Esrange reached the milestone after almost 58 years since operations begun. For information on individual rockets, see theList of rockets launched from Esrange.[13]
Esrange has 6 launchers and 1 majorlaunch pad:
TheThemis T1Hfirst-stagereusable rocketprototype developed byArianeGroup and a part of theEuropean Space Agency'sThemis programme funded by theEU led SALTO project aims to testreusable rockets on theEuropean mainland.[15] The initiative aims to elevateEurope's space capabilities and Esrange will be leveraged in the process.
On June 27, 2025 theThemis prototype arrived from its as assembly site inLes Mureaux,France to Esrange Space Center east ofKiruna,Sweden and is now being prepared for its firstflight test. The first launch is scheduled for 2026.[16][17]
At Esrange it will be tested in a series of flights ensuring that the rocket will land and perform at optimal ability before being transported back toFrance to perform afull domain flight. It is one of the largest rockets to be launched from Esrange and the first reusable rocket to be launched from European soil. From Esrange it will perform multiple launches in 2026 ranging fromlow-altitude tests toextended flights.[18]
The tests will be undertaken at the Spaceport Esrange's LC-3launch pad, where takeoffs and landings will occur on and within a 40x40m area, therocket will on its first launch do a "hop" of about 20 meters high by doing aVTVL, (vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing) with the help oflanding legs that will be installed under the rocket before launch.[19]
Esrange houses several testbed facilities where European rocket companies are developing new rocket models through motor tests and rocket reuse demonstrations.Isar Aerospace is currently conducting motor tests of their rocketSpectrum, whileRocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is doing the same on their rocketRFA One.[20]
Thearctic latitude of Esrange makes it very suitable for communication with satellites inpolar orbits.Esrange Satellite Station is part of a global network with stations inCanada,USA,Chile,Thailand, andAustralia, as well as partner stations in other locations. This global network is operated from Esrange, owned by theSwedish Space Corporation (SSC).
Esrange Space Center satellite station focuses on data acquisition and processing forremote sensing and scientific missions as well as TT&C support. The station is often used in combination withSSC'sInuvik Satellite Station in northern Canada, to increase coverage opportunities for polar orbiting missions.
Esrange Space Center satellite station includes six independentTelemetry Tracking & Command (TT&C) systems in S-Band (one with receive capability also in theUHF-Band), six multi-frequency receive antenna systems in S/X-Band and an operational building which houses reception system electronics and data processing equipment.Satellite services at Esrange began in 1978.
A number of telecommunication satellites have been controlled through Esrange:
Most research satellites of the Swedish space programme have received control commands through Esrange:
The exception was controlled from SSC's laboratories inSolna outsideStockholm:
Data have been received at Esrange from more than 50 satellites, including SPOT 1–5,Landsat 2–7,ERS-1–2 andEnvisat.
Ideas to use Esrange Space Center fororbital launches has existed since the inauguration of the facility in 1966, then in the vision ofESRO. As new smaller launch projects started to emerge in the beginning of the new millennia,SSC started to form new ideas to use these to obtain anorbital capability On October 14, 2020,Matilda Ernkrans, the Swedish Space Minister, announced the decision of theSwedish government to establish capability to launchsmall satellites from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.[21]
The orbital launch site, LC-3, was inaugurated on 13 January 2023 as the ribbon was cut by the Swedish kingCarl XVI Gustaf, prime ministerUlf Kristersson together withhead commissioner PresidentUrsula Von der Leyen.[22] There are currently plans for an orbital launch in 2026 at earliest.
Alongside the upcomingArianeGroup Themis demonstrator reusable rocket tests,SCC has partnered withAmerican companyFirefly Aerospace to launch satellites into orbit.[23][24] TheFirefly Alphasmall-lift expendable launch vehicle will launch small satellites into Earth orbit from Spaceport Esrange.[25]
South Korean aerospace companyPerigee Aerospace signed an agreement withSCC to launch their newBlue Whale 1 orbital rocket for small satellites from Esrange in 2026 or later, after first being performing itsmaiden flight inSouth Korea.[26] These launches marks the first time Esrange will be used fororbital missions and puts Sweden as a contender withNorway'sAndøya Spaceport, andScotland'sSaxaVord Spaceport for performing the first orbital launches from European soil.[27]
Since 1974, more than 600high-altitude balloons have been launched from Esrange forresearch purposes. Thelaunch pad can handle ballons with volumes exceeding 1 millioncubic meters.[28]
In the summer of 2024,NASA launched a record-breaking stratospheric balloon (1.7 million cubic meters) from Esrange, called Booms. This was the first time such a large balloon had been launched in Europe and the second time ever worldwide.[29]
The area of the site is traditional land of theSami people, particularly forreindeer herding. Shelters have been established for people in the surrounding area to take cover during launches. Increased industrial, military and aeronautic activity in the region has been viewed critically by Sami people.[30][31]
Media related toEsrange at Wikimedia Commons
67°53′38″N21°06′25″E / 67.89389°N 21.10694°E /67.89389; 21.10694
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