The Esrange Space Center in Northern Sweden. Photo: SSC

A South Korean rocket will be the first to launch from the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden thanks to a collaboration between companies in Sweden and South Korea. Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) is teaming up with South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace which will see Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 microlauncher launched from the Esprange Space Center. SSC announced the deal on May. 7.

The two-stage launch vehicle has the capacity to place up to 200 kg into a 500 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit. Together, SSC and Perigee will develop a service concept with a shared payload space onboard the rocket to make room for both companies’ customer bases. Enforced by SSC’s global satellite ground station network, this service could also be supplemented by additional space-to-ground services.

“I’m very pleased to announce this historic collaboration, our first orbital launch partnership. The market demand for this service is huge and it’s needed now, by both European and international satellite owners. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 rocket is an ideal match for our orbital launch complex at Esrange. With this partnership, SSC will be able to offer a competitive commercial European orbital launch service at our spaceport in Sweden. This is exciting news for us, and for the global space market,” Charlotta Sund, CEO, SSC said in a statement.