Ibadan, 16 July 2023. – Andøya Spaceport is building Norway’s first Spaceport on Andøya, from where it can launch payloads with orbital launch vehicles into polar and sun-synchronous orbits. The Spaceport will provide the ground infrastructure for launch operator companies to launch small satellites into orbit. Furthermore, the initial capability includes a new launch pad, an integration hall where users can assemble and integrate their payloads into the rockets. The facility will also offer control rooms for operating tests, launch operations, and range activities.
Andøya Spaceport is working closely together with The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap, DSB), which regulates the safety on the ground, and the Civil Aviation Authority’s space division in Norway (Luftfartstilsynets Romtilsyn), which regulates launching activities, to develop and fulfill the necessary safety procedures.
According to Jon Harr, operations director at Andøya Spaceport, “The integration hall is complete and ready to receive the first launch operator, the European space company Isar Aerospace and their new launch vehicle Spectrum.” Harr added, “Our integration hall provides a clean room for satellite integration, as well as heavy equipment such as cranes and other mechanical tools.”
The Company has also finalized the control rooms. Here, all procedures leading up to the launch will be run, like the countdown operations. Furthermore, it will monitor the safety measures—telemetry and tracking during tests, preparations, and launch.
As part of preparing for the first test flight, Isar Aerospace is planning to test the first and second stages of their launch vehicle Spectrum at Andøya Spaceport ahead of the launch. The tests will tentatively happen over several weeks and involve fueling the first and second stages and then test-firing them at the launch site.
