Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and German space tech company Isar Aerospace have signed a long-term contract for testing of a new generation of European rocket engines for minilaunchers at Esrange Space Center in Sweden. The agreement includes a rocket stand for vertical tests, and the agreement can be extended to include rocket stage tests with multiple rocket engines.
SSC’s new engine and stage test capability plays a crucial part in supporting research and the development of rocket engines for minilaunchers in Europe. The first engine tests are planned for mid-2020 and the aim is to launch satellites with Isar Aerospace rockets based on this engine technology from 2021 onward.
“We are very excited about the new collaboration with Isar Aerospace. This is our first rocket engine test customer and providing this service is fully in line with SSC’s overall strategy to develop the ability to launch satellites from Esrange. The partnership shows that we have already come a long way and that we are well on our way to meet both current and future customer needs,” said Stefan Gardefjord, CEO at SSC.
“Isar Aerospace is progressing fast in its development of these engines and we are happy that we so quickly were able to find a suitable test site for our upcoming engine and stage tests. We see this as a beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with SSC and Sweden in general,” said Josef Fleischmann, COO and co-founder of Isar Aerospace
The agreement was announced on 2 March 2020.
