A history of space innovation

Aviation – The history of innovative aviation in Kiruna began in 1916 with the first flight of an Albatross over Kiruna, landing on the city lake Luossajärvi. The pilot later became the head engineer of SAAB (Swedish Aeroplane AB). Kiruna Airport was built in 1960 and the huge hangar Arena Arctica, specially built for space related activities, was ready in 1990.

Testing – The geographical location and large unpopulated area surrounding Kiruna offer unique possibilities for testing in a sub-arctic environment. The first tests conducted here were in 1924 when the Swedish Air Force tested English airplane engines on the lake Luossajärvi.

Space – In 1961, the first rocket to be launched into space from Sweden took off, and five years later, Sweden’s own rocket base for space research, Esrange Space Center, was founded. In 1972, it was transformed into a new state-owned company, the SSC

Adventure – If it is possible to build a hotel of ice in a small village 200 km inside the Arctic Circle, which strikes the whole world with amazement, then anything is possible. The story of ICEHOTEL is indeed a fairy tale come true.

Infrastructure

Spaceport Sweden is a pioneering initiative to establish commercial human spaceflight in Kiruna and become Europe’s gateway to space. We welcome you to join our journey towards the future and offer you space experiences already now – your next adventure starts here.

Over a hundred kilometers above the Arctic Circle, in the land of the midnight sun and the northern lights, a project is underway that has the potential to change the way people relate to their planet and the universe beyond.

Here, in the last wilderness of Europe, Spaceport Sweden is working to establish a state of the art facility worthy of being Europe’s gateway into space.  Active in the development of commercial manned space flight since 2005, Spaceport Sweden is today one of the more established players in the dynamic international space industry.

Kiruna in Swedish Lapland will be home to a world-class spaceport, which will feature a wide-array of educational experiences, training and development programs, and will literally be the launching off point for a range of products and services connected to space tourism. Many of these are currently in development alongside the most cutting-edge technological innovations.

Kiruna is already one of the world’s premier space cities. Since 1957, the Swedish Institute of Space Physics has conducted extensive research here, and Esrange Space Center, a rocket range and research facility built by the European Space Agency and managed by the SSC Group, has been active in the area since 1966. Spaceport Sweden is proud to be a part of Kiruna’s space heritage and is enormously excited to be contributing to its next phase. 

Kiruna is Sweden’s principal mining town and the combination of high-tech industry, sophisticated research facilities, and natural, unspoiled beauty is turning this city on the edge of the continent into one of the most dynamic locations in Europe.

Come join us and see just how close the future is.