On Thursday, the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries gave Andøya Spaceport the green light to operate the new spaceport, which opened on 2 November last year. Thus, it is ready for satellite launch from Andøya. The permit is the first of its kind in Norway. It is granted for five years at a time and applies to a single ramp. – This gives Norway a unique position. The spaceport on Andøya will be used to launch satellites into orbit, and that has never happened from the European continent before, says astrophysicist Eirik Newth. Opening up space tourism He has no doubt that the approval Andøya Spaceport has now received will have major ripple effects. The Ministry of Trade and Fisheries has given the company Andøya Spaceport permission to operate the spaceport. The stage is thus set for satellite launch from Andøya. Photo: NORCONSULT’S PROFESSIONAL REPORT SOCIETY – This will mean jobs and new technology opportunities. There will be military activity. Money will flow into the country. Maybe also space tourism. People traveling to watch launches is a big deal out there in the world. So this is an exciting opportunity for Norway. Newth says that Andøya is particularly important now because Europe wants greater independence in the space sector. – European politicians and ESA have emphasized this again and again. They want to have an independent capacity that is not dependent on, for example, the Americans. And then Andøya becomes very valuable. Newth adds: – Then of course comes the military aspect, which is extremely important, especially in connection with developments in Russia. Andøya’s location has great strategic importance. Andøya has already launched research rockets and the like for 60 years. But no one has been fast enough to orbit the Earth. Illustration: Andøya Space / Trond Abrahamsen The Andøya Spaceport license has been opened for 30 launches a year. There are strict requirements for notification of the launches, both internationally and locally as well as for affected industries. – Have to expect some explosions, because there is a certain risk with rockets. This week something went wrong in Shetland during an engine test with a similar rocket to be sent up from Andøya. This week, a German test rocket exploded at the British space base SaxaVord Spaceport on the island of Unst in Shetland. Photo: BBC There are two German companies that are now preparing to launch rockets in Europe. One is Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), which is located in Shetland. The other is Isar Aerospace, which has announced that it will launch a rocket from Andøya in Norway during the year. The rockets in question are large launch vehicles that reach space and can carry satellites as cargo. Andøya Spaceport is aware that a lot can happen in new quarry work. – The German customer we have now tests rockets in the same way as in Shetland. Accidents can happen, and it’s the first time for us too, says Jon Harr, who is operations manager at Andøya Spaceport. Astrophysicist Eirik Newth says accidents like the one at the British space base SaxaVord Spaceport are very common in space travel. – As the Americans say, “space is hard”. Getting rockets to fly the first time is difficult. Neither of the two German companies that are now testing rockets in Norway and Great Britain has launched rockets before. We have to expect some explosions. Andøya Spaceport received the long-awaited license on Thursday, which gives the spaceport formal status as a spaceport operator. Photo: Multiconsult Newth is not too worried about accidents. – If you have been to Andøya and looked at the spaceport, you will see that it is isolated. There will be a lot of security measures around such a launch. So the danger to humans is very small. Long journey towards the goal Andøya has already launched research rockets and the like for 60 years. But no one has been fast enough to orbit the Earth. – The space port can be used for anything the customer wants to use it for. All research that requires flying over the poles, earth observation, climate, communication, northern lights research, Andøya will be particularly suitable for, says Eirik Newth. Photo: Arne Kristian Gansmo / news Now they are busy testing rockets in Germany before they will be sent up, hopefully already this autumn. Newth thinks that is probably optimistic. – ISAR Aerospace is a renowned rocket company. They have received a lot of money to support and have worked on it for a long time. But they have never launched a rocket before. – They said this spring that they hoped to launch in autumn 2024. So we’ll see. But it all depends on the tests they carry out when they assemble the rocket. If everything works as it should, they shoot up. If something needs to be fixed, it takes longer. I’m guessing next year in 2025. Will still launch in 2024 Lasse Berg, interim general manager of Andøya Spaceport, says this is a big day for them. He is adamant that Andøya Space will have a launch in 2024. – When do you aim to launch the first rocket that will take satellites into orbit from Andøya? – There are many who wonder about it. The license that we have received today is an important milestone on the way to the first launch and there is still a lot of good work to be done up here before we are completely ready, but all parties up here are committed and we are working to get a launch from Andøya in 2024. Lasse Berg in Andøya Spaceport. Photo: Norwegian Defense Nor does Berg think there is cause for concern even though things went wrong in Shetland. – Many people have caught on to what happened earlier this week. Then I think it is worth reminding that what we are doing at Andøya is a test and development race. Testing out new technology for the very first time means taking such incidents into account, says Berg. – That is why we focus on safety at all stages and have a close collaboration locally on Andøya and emergency operators to ensure that safety is taken care of when we eventually start operations down at the spaceport. Published 23.08.2024, at 19.20
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– Can open space tourism in Norway – news Nordland
