Swedish Air Force want to use fighter jets to launch satellites
- The Swedish Armed Forces are looking at whether they could use JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to take satellites into space.
- Satellite launches are possible from the Esrange Spaceport in Kiruna above the Arctic Circle, which opened this year, but the Armed Forces want to explore alternative options too, in case of war.
- That’s why they’re looking at whether Gripen fighter jets could fulfil this role, says the head of Space capabilities and development at the Swedish Air Force, Ella Carlsson.
Radio Sweden
For more on the Swedish Armed Forces potential project, listen to Radio Sweden’s full report.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Mysterious spiral of light spotted in North caused by SpaceX rocket, physicist says, CBC News
Finland: Report recommends creation of Finnish space situational awareness centre, Eye on the Arctic
Greenland: Evidence of powerful solar storm which occurred 2,600 years ago found in Greenland ice, CBC News
Sweden: Arctic Sweden—Kiruna pivots from underground to outer space, Blog by Mia Bennett
