Ibadan, 4 April 2024. – The Government of Norway has disclosed its intentions to develop the Andoya Spaceport into a base for long-range drones. This will consequently make the Andoya Spaceport central to the support and development of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ space operations. As a result, there will still be a daily military presence at the Spaceport as it becomes an important airbase for allied reception.
Long-range drones will now become a completely new capability in the Norwegian Armed Forces and will increase its ability to continuously understand the situation and monitor its local areas. A good understanding of the situation is important to ensure national control and freedom of action. As such, Andøya will be an absolutely central base for this development in the Norwegian Armed Forces going forward, according to Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp).
Space-based services are central to military operations and are becoming increasingly important in Norway’s cooperation with its allies, partners and the NATO community. Secure access to space is becoming central in line with the development of satellite-based services. Because of this, the Norwegian Government has a clear ambition for Norway to be foremost among allies in understanding the situation in the north. Satellites will help to provide an overview of what is happening in the Country’s immediate areas, and Andøya has a unique location when it comes to access to outer space.
The Norwegian Government, in cooperation with allies, will also develop the ability to quickly replace satellites if necessary. The first measure is consequently to help strengthen the security level at Andøya Spaceport to satisfy military security requirements. As a result, Andøya Spaceport will be a resource for the rapid launch of replacement satellites either in a national or allied framework.
