Here comes rocket No. 600 from Sweden’s space center

By Thomas Nilsen, The Independent Barents Observer November 12, 2024
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The suborbital science rocket reached an altitude of 309 kilometres and carried a payload with 21 different experiments.

The rocket was visible in the blue skies in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland Monday morning. The Barents Observer took this photo north of Ivalo. Photo: Denis Zagore

“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 Center.

The launch Monday morning was the 600th from the space center near Kiruna in northern Sweden.

Named MAPHEUS-15, the rocket payload featured a wide range of scientific disciplines which were conducted during seven minutes of microgravity, for example, advanced material science and biological research on human cells. The payload, which fell down in northern Sweden, will be recovered by helicopter on Tuesday, the space center informs.

The Esrange Space Center is located some 200 kilometers inside the Arctic Circle near Kiruna in Norrbotten and surrounded by a vast wilderness. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Located in Kirkenes, Norway, just a few kilometres from the borders to Russia and Finland, the Barents Observer is dedicated to cross-border journalism in Scandinavia, Russia and the wider Arctic.

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