Esrange Space Center (short form Esrange) is a rocket range and
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
centre located about 40 kilometers east of the town of
Kiruna
(; se, Giron ; fi, Kiiruna ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norr ...
in northern
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. It is a base for
scientific
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
research with
high-altitude balloon
High-altitude balloons are crewed or uncrewed balloons, usually filled with helium or hydrogen, that are released into the stratosphere, generally attaining between above sea level. In 2002, a balloon named BU60-1 reached a record altitude of .
...
s, investigation of the
aurora borealis
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of br ...
,
sounding rocket
A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to ...
launches, and
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
tracking, among other things. Located 200 km north of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
and surrounded by a vast wilderness, its geographic location is ideal for many of these purposes.
Esrange was built in 1964 by
ESRO
The European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a ...
, the ''European Space Research Organisation'', which later became
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
by merging with
ELDO
Eldo is a given name is a variation of Eldho and may refer to the following people
People
*Eldo Abraham, Indian politician
* Eldo T. Ridgway (1880–1955), American physician and politician
Fictional characters
*''Eldo Davip'',a fictional soldie ...
, the European Launcher Development Organisation. The first rocket launch from Esrange occurred on 19 November 1966. In 1972, ownership was transferred to the newly started
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) provides space subsystems, space and satellite operations, rocket and balloon systems including experiment equipment, launch services, aerospace engineering services as well as airborne maritime surveillance s ...
.
History
In the 1960s Esrange was established as an
ESRO
The European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a ...
sounding rocket launching range located in
Kiruna
(; se, Giron ; fi, Kiiruna ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norr ...
(Sweden). This location was chosen because it was generally agreed that it was important to carry out a sounding rocket programme in the
auroral zone, and for this reason it was essential that ESRO equip itself with a suitable range in the northern latitudes. Access to Kiruna was good by air, road and rail, and the launching range was relatively close to the town of Kiruna. Finally and perhaps decisively, Esrange could be located near Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (subsequently renamed to
Swedish Institute of Space Physics). In 1972 ownership and operations of the range was transferred to the
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) provides space subsystems, space and satellite operations, rocket and balloon systems including experiment equipment, launch services, aerospace engineering services as well as airborne maritime surveillance s ...
.
Name
The name of the facility was originally ESRANGE, which was an abbreviation for ESRO Sounding Rocket Launching Range.
When
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) provides space subsystems, space and satellite operations, rocket and balloon systems including experiment equipment, launch services, aerospace engineering services as well as airborne maritime surveillance s ...
took over the range, its name became Esrange (with capital 'E' only).
Esrange Space Center is the name that is currently used for the facility.
Other ways to interpret the name over the years has been ''European Space and Sounding Rocket Range'', and ''European Space Range''.
Rocket activities
There had been Swedish rocket activities previously, mainly at
Kronogård Kronogård is the name of a launch site for sounding rockets in North Sweden at . Kronogård was originally a hunting post for royal foresters and hunters. In the 1950s a rocket launch site was established, from which mainly rockets of the type Nik ...
(18 launches in the period 1961–1964). However, the rocket activity in Sweden did not gain thrust until after
ESRO
The European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a ...
established Esrange in 1964.
During the period 1966–1972
ESRO
The European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a ...
launched more than 150 rockets from Esrange. Most of these were
Centaure
Centaure or Le Centaure is the French name of the mythological creature the centaur, and may also refer to:
Ships
*, a French Navy ship in service from 1712 to 1756
*, a French Navy ship that sank in 1750
*, a 74-gun ship of the line of the Frenc ...
,
Nike Apache
The Nike Apache, also known as Argo B-13, was a two-stage sounding rocket developed by Aerolab, later Atlantic Research, for use by the United States Air Force and NASA. It became the standard NASA sounding rocket and was launched over 600 times ...
, and
Skua
The skuas are a group of predatory seabirds with seven species forming the genus ''Stercorarius'', the only genus in the family Stercorariidae. The three smaller skuas, the long-tailed skua, the Arctic skua, and the pomarine skua are called jae ...
rockets reaching 100–220 km altitude. They supported many branches of European research, but the emphasis was on atmospheric and ionospheric research.
In 1972 the management of Esrange was transferred to the
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) provides space subsystems, space and satellite operations, rocket and balloon systems including experiment equipment, launch services, aerospace engineering services as well as airborne maritime surveillance s ...
(SSC). Gradually the smaller rockets were complemented by larger rockets reaching higher altitudes, achieving
weightlessness
Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight. It is also termed zero gravity, zero G-force, or zero-G.
Weight is a measurement of the force on an object at rest in a relatively strong gravitational fi ...
for a few minutes when the rocket is above the parts of the atmosphere giving an appreciable friction. Three main programmes,
Texus,
Maser
A maser (, an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) is a device that produces coherent electromagnetic waves through amplification by stimulated emission. The first maser was built by Charles H. Townes, Ja ...
, and
Maxus
SAIC Maxus Automotive Co., Ltd. trading as Maxus and sometimes known by the pinyin transcription of its Chinese name, Datong (大通) is a Chinese vehicle brand. Currently, it is a commercial and passenger vehicle manufacturer being a wholly ...
currently dominate the rocket activities at Esrange and support
microgravity
The term micro-g environment (also μg, often referred to by the term microgravity) is more or less synonymous with the terms ''weightlessness'' and ''zero-g'', but emphasising that g-forces are never exactly zero—just very small (on the I ...
research for
ESA
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
and
DLR:
SSC, jointly with
DLR, introduced a new launch service with the Suborbital Express programme launched in 2019. Suborbital Express is now integrating the
Maser
A maser (, an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) is a device that produces coherent electromagnetic waves through amplification by stimulated emission. The first maser was built by Charles H. Townes, Ja ...
microgravity programme.
More than 500 rockets have been launched from Esrange since 1966. For information on individual rockets, see the
List of rockets launched from Esrange.
Esrange has six
launchers:
* MAXUS launcher (used for the CASTOR 4B rocket)
* MAN launcher (owned by DLR)
* MRL Launcher (used for the Orion, Nike-Orion, Taurus-Orion, Nike-Black Brant V, Terrier-Black brant rockets)
* Skylark launch tower (used for the VSB 30 rocket)
* FFAR launcher (used for Folding Fin Aircraft Rockets)
* SULO/VIPER launcher (used for Super Loki and VIPER rockets)
Balloon activities
Since 1974, more than 500
high-altitude balloon
High-altitude balloons are crewed or uncrewed balloons, usually filled with helium or hydrogen, that are released into the stratosphere, generally attaining between above sea level. In 2002, a balloon named BU60-1 reached a record altitude of .
...
s have been launched from Esrange for research purposes. The launch pad can handle balloons with volumes exceeding 1 million cubic meters.
Satellite services
The arctic latitude of Esrange makes it very suitable for communication with satellites in polar orbits. ''Esrange Satellite Station'' is part of a global network with stations in Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Chile and Australia. This global network is managed from Esrange.
''Esrange Space Center'' satellite station emphasizes on data acquisition and processing for remote sensing and scientific missions as well as TT&C support. The station is often used in combination with SSC's ''Inuvik Satellite Station'' in northern Canada, to increase coverage opportunities for polar orbiting missions.
''Esrange Space Center'' satellite station includes six independent Telemetry Tracking & Command (TT&C) systems in S-Band (one with receive capability also in the UHF-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.
Satellite control services
A number of telecommunication satellites have been controlled through Esrange:
*
Tele-X
Tele-X was the first communications satellite serving the Nordic countries. It was launched with an Ariane 2 launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana, on 2 April 1989. On 16 January 1998, its fuel was exhausted and it was moved into graveyar ...
(1989–1998)
*
Sirius-1 (1995–2003)
*
Sirius-2 (1997–2009)
*
Sirius-3 (1998–2015)
*
Sirius-4 (2008–)
Most research satellites of the Swedish space programme have received control commands through Esrange:
*
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
(1986–1987)
*
Freja (1992–1996)
*
Astrid-1 (1995)
*
Odin
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
(2001–)
The exception was controlled from SSC's laboratories in Solna outside Stockholm:
*
Astrid-2 (1998–1999)
Ground station services
Data have been received at Esrange from more than 50 satellites, including SPOT 1–5, Landsat 2–7,
ERS-1
European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS) was the European Space Agency's first Earth-observing satellite programme using a polar orbit. It consisted of 2 satellites, ERS-1 and ERS-2.
ERS-1
ERS-1 launched 17 July 1991 from Guiana Space Centre ...
–2 and
Envisat
Envisat ("Environmental Satellite") is a large inactive Earth-observing satellite which is still in orbit and now considered space debris. Operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), it was the world's largest civilian Earth observation satell ...
.
Satellite launch capability
Ideas to use Esrange Space Center for orbital launches has existed since the inauguration of the base in 1966, then in the vision of ESRO.
As new smaller launcher projects started to emerge in the beginning of the new millennia, SSC started to form new ideas to use these to obtain an orbital capability.
On Oct 14th 2020 Matilda Ernkrans, Swedish Space Minister, announced the decision of the Swedish government to establish capability to launch small satellites from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.
See also
*
List of rockets launched from Esrange
*
Swedish Space Corporation
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) provides space subsystems, space and satellite operations, rocket and balloon systems including experiment equipment, launch services, aerospace engineering services as well as airborne maritime surveillance s ...
*
Swedish National Space Agency
The Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA, sv, Rymdstyrelsen) is a Government agency in Sweden operating under the Swedish Ministry of Education and Science. SNSA operates as a key component of the Swedish space programme, which is mostly carri ...
*
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
*
North European Aerospace Test range
*
List of rocket launch sites
This article constitutes a list of rocket launch sites. Some of these sites are known as spaceports or cosmodromes. A single rocket launch is sufficient for inclusion in the table, as long as the site is properly documented through a reference. M ...
*
Rexus/Bexus
References
Footnotes
Sources
* The History of Sounding Rockets and Their Contribution to European Space Research, Günther Seibert, ESA HSR-38, November 2006, .
External links
Esrange Space CenterSwedish Space Corporation- Official site
{{ESA projects, state=uncollapsed
European Space Agency
Spaceflight
Spaceports in Europe
Rocket launch sites
Science and technology in Sweden
Space programme of Sweden
Kiruna
Buildings and structures in Norrbotten County
1966 establishments in Sweden