Swedish Space Corporation and Perigee Aerospace join forces for satellite launches from Esrange

In a recent collaboration, the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and Perigee Aerospace Inc. announced plans to launch satellites from Esrange Space Center in Sweden starting in 2025. Using Perigee’s two-stage rocket, two hundred kilograms is the utmost weight that can be launched into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 500 km.

By teaming up, SSC and Perigee aim to offer shared payload space onboard the rocket for both companies’ customer bases. This service could be further bolstered by SSC’s global satellite ground station network and additional space-to-ground services.

“I’m very pleased to announce this historic collaboration, our first orbital launch partnership. The market demand for this service is huge and it’s needed now, by both European and international satellite owners. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 rocket is an ideal match for our orbital launch complex at Esrange,” said SSC chief executive officer Charlotta Sund.

SSC: leading the way with Swedish technology

Since the 1970s, the Swedish Space Corporation has played a crucial role in helping various organizations, businesses, and research institutes access space. Boasting a staff of more than 700 employees spread across the globe and active on every continent, the company is an industry leader in offering satellite ground station connectivity, operating spacecraft, engineering rocket and balloon systems, procuring launch services, executing flight tests, and utilizing data analytics.

Among SSC’s assets is Esrange Space Center in Sweden, set to be Europe’s inaugural spaceport by 2025 and also their global ground station network for satellite communications.

Perigee Aerospace: making space accessible

Since its establishment in 2018, Perigee Aerospace Inc. has been working diligently on producing the budget-friendly small launch vehicle, BW1 or Blue Whale 1, suitable for small satellite launches.

A two-stage rocket, BW1 can lift up to 200 kg into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Fueled by advanced liquid methane engines and constructed with lightweight carbon fiber composites, it ensures economical worldwide launches with dependable flight control systems.

By uniting their strengths, the Swedish entity and its Korean counterpart are poised to widen their impact in the aerospace industry, jointly propelling innovation in the field of space exploration.