Europe's 1st continental spaceport is open for business in Norway
The first spaceport in continental Europe, located on Norway's Andøya island, was opened on 2nd November by H.R.H Crown Prince Haakon. It will be the launch site of the European launch service company Isar Aerospace.
Highlights:
- The opening of Andøya Spaceport is an important milestone for Isar Aerospace and the European space industry.
- Andøya Spaceport is ideal for launching satellites with sun-synchronous or polar orbits.
- The spaceport will be able to launch small to medium-sized satellites.
- The first test flight of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket is expected to take place from Andøya Spaceport in the near future.
The spaceport is part of Andøya Space and is located in Nordmela on Norway's Andøya island. It is a joint venture between Andøya Space and Isar Aerospace. The spaceport has a launchpad, payload integration facilities, and a mission control center.
The spaceport will be able to launch small to medium-sized satellites into sun-synchronous or polar orbits. These are orbits that pass over a set point on Earth at the same solar mean time each day. The spaceport is ideal for these types of orbits because it is located far north of a coastline.
The aerospace market currently has a strong demand for launch sites that can boost satellites into these types of orbits, as these locations are in short supply globally. The opening of Andøya Spaceport will help to meet this demand.
The first test flight of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket is expected to take place from Andøya Spaceport in the near future. Spectrum is a two-stage rocket that can carry up to 100 kilograms of payload into orbit.