Swedish space industry achieves 600th rocket launch from Esrange

The Swedish space industry celebrated a major achievement with the launch of MAPHEUS-15, marking the 600th suborbital rocket mission from Esrange Space Centre, advancing scientific exploration through international collaboration.

In the crisp Arctic air of Sweden’s northernmost region, an ambitious scientific journey took flight as the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) celebrated a historic milestone the 600th suborbital rocket launch from Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna.

With MAPHEUS-15’s successful launch, Sweden underscored its commitment to advancing scientific exploration and innovation through international collaboration.

In a press statement, the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), a global provider of space service, says that the rocket ascended to 309 km, where it carried a diverse payload of 21 experiments, demonstrating both the vastness of space and the precision of science.

It adds that the payload encompassed a wide range of scientific disciplines, conducted during seven minutes of microgravity, including advanced material science and biological research on human cells. The payload is set to be recovered by helicopter on Tuesday.

SSC says that the campaign was successfully carried out in collaboration with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). The launch was executed by DLR’s Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA), while the scientific payload was managed by DLR’s Institute for Material Physics in Space.

“I am very proud of this milestone which shines a light on the many years of international collaboration at Esrange. This has been instrumental in achieving hundreds of successful rocket missions, providing invaluable access to space for scientists worldwide,” says Lennart Poromaa, Head of Esrange Space Centre.

 

“We are grateful for the many years of extremely productive collaboration, during which also the core teams from SSC and DLR have grown together. Thanks to their support, the MAPHEUS programme has grown tremendously over the past 15 years, and we are looking forward to many more launches to come,” says Thomas Voigtmann, DLR Project Manager for the MAPHEUS campaigns.