A research rocket was launched from Andøya on a winter morning in 1995. It was a harmless research rocket that was to collect data on magnetic radiation and the aurora borealis. But problems in the warning system meant that the Russians turned on all the plugs. Only afterwards was it understood how close the world had been to nuclear war. Now the scientists have plans to launch a new, and much larger rocket from Andøya. Could the same thing happen again? LISTEN TO news’S PODCAST ABOUT THE ROCKET ON ANDØYA: When scientists on Andøya launched a large rocket in 1995, the big war alarm went off in Russia. The warning about the research rocket had not reached the generals with the nuclear suitcase. You will first get the stories in the news Radio app. – Never been closer to nuclear war The 25th of January 1995 is referred to as the day when the world has never been closer to a nuclear war. When a research rocket was launched from Andøya that winter morning, Russia’s then president did something he had never done before. And when three Russian warning radars detected the missile minutes after launch, the Russians concluded that it was an American nuclear missile. Dagsrevyen 26 January 1995. Here Boris Yeltsin tells how he experienced the “Andøya episode”. The rocket’s trajectory, speed and shape completely corresponded with the Russians’ image of how a Western nuclear attack would begin. – Although the “Norwegian missile crisis” only lasted about 20 minutes, it was the most serious event in nuclear history. CIA veteran Peter Pry said in 1995 that the world was very close to nuclear war in the twenty minutes before the Russians understood that the rocket launched from Andøya was to research the aurora borealis. Photo: news That’s what CIA veteran Peter Pry said at the time. Since the radars could not determine exactly where the rocket was launched from, the Russians did not understand that it came from Andøya. All they could determine was that the rocket came from somewhere off the Norwegian coast. The Russians were in full swing with preparations for a nuclear war. “The only thing they didn’t do was make the decision to launch the rockets,” said Pry. Historic launch Andøya Space today launches an estimated somewhere between two and five rockets annually. At the same time, the Andøya Spaceport satellite launch base is under construction. Satellites are planned to be launched here from next year. Then they have a license for a total of up to 30 launches a year. Andøya Space Center launches between two and five each year. They have never launched a rocket as large as the one they will launch in 2023. Photo: Jan-Morten Bjørnbak/NTB CEO of Andøya Space, Ketil Olsen, says that the size of the rockets will get bigger. – It definitely will. The largest rocket we have fired is around 7 tonnes. What needs to be lifted in connection with a satellite launch, then we are talking about 100 tonnes. Olsen emphasizes that satellites are extremely important for today’s society. And it seems a great thing that it should be launched from Norwegian soil. In 2023, the rocket, Spectrum, will be launched. The rocket will be up to 30 meters long and 2.5 meters in diameter. Spectrum will be used to offer the launch of the large satellites that Olsen mentions above. – It’s a big rocket, so it’s going to create attention, I expect, all over the world. – It has not been done before in Europe, so we have other competitors there as well. But it is something we look forward to. Ketil Olsen, Acting Managing Director of Andøya Space, says that – Will it increase the risk level for operations at Andøya Space and Andøya Spaceport? – It will in any case increase interest. And then it can be of interest whether it is positive or negative, but it is clear that we are very exposed when we have to launch satellites into orbit. The Spectrum rocket will be launched in 2023 from Andøya Spaceport. Andøya Spaceport is under construction and is planned to look like this when it is finished. Photo: NORCONSULTS FAGRAPPORT SAMFUNN Earlier this year, Andøya Space launched an American rocket from Norway, something CIA veteran Peter Vincent Pry advised against. – Both we and Russia have launched missiles several times after the invasion of Ukraine. The dialogue goes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Russian Embassy. It has proven to be satisfactory until now, says Olsen. A harmless research rocket But can what happened in 1995 happen again? Ketil Olsen believes that it is difficult to speculate. – Measures have been taken to ensure that the information reaches us. – We have also fired more than 1,000 rockets since we started in 1962, so it is clear that the dialogue we have will continue. Everyone must be aware that we are shooting up. At Andøya air station, they build several rockets. This rocket is approximately one-tenth the size of Spectrum, which will be launched in 2023. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news – How do you assess the routines for notification today compared to the mid-90s? – We have maintained our routines and make sure to inform. Until today, it has been good enough, even after the invasion. – We will continue and send up as long as we have a common understanding in Norway that we want to conduct research at this level. Russia also launches its missiles and warns in its own ways. Are you worried that what happened in 1995 will happen again? No, I think they have much better notification routines now Yes, everything is so uncertain in the world now I’d rather not think about it Show result Andøya is on the map Svein Spjelkavik is a journalist and advertising man. He follows everything that happens on Andøya and has done so for a long time. Nor is he sure whether history can repeat itself. – I don’t think history can repeat itself, but no one thought it would happen last time either. Things can go wrong, he says. Nevertheless, he points out that something has changed since the 90s. The research rockets are no longer confusingly similar to the nuclear rockets. – We have only seen the beginning of the attention surrounding Andøya Space, says journalist Svein Spjelkavik at Andøya. Photo: Dan Henrik Klausen / news After the incident in 1995, he made a TV shirt with the text “We almost started world war three”. It became very popular among tourists. And with the new giant rocket to be launched in 2023, Spjelkavik expects increased tourism to the island. – It will be a new everyday life with even more focus on the strange, exciting island we live on.
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Planning a satellite launch from Norway – news Nordland
