Sweden prepare to launch military satellite into space 30 October 2024 22:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Swedish Armed Forces are preparing to launch the first Heimdall 0-C military satellite from the Esrange cosmodrome, Azernews reports.

The release is scheduled for 2027-2028. The test satellite will orbit the poles of the Earth and is designed to demonstrate the country's space capabilities and provide Sweden with access to critical space infrastructure for its defense needs.

By 2030, it is planned to launch several more Heimdall 1-4 satellites into orbit, which will be designed to photograph the Earth's surface and collect intelligence data. It should support the activities of the Swedish Air Force, Navy and Army. The launched satellites will become an important element for the Swedish military, which previously did not have its own space assets.

In order to prepare for the use of satellites in the Armed Forces, a space division was created, which began operating a year and a half ago. The main task of the division is to cover the entire supply chain to the operation of satellites. In addition to this unit, the creation of the Space Operations Center in Uppsala has begun.