NATO member Sweden has signed an agreement paving the way for it to commence satellite launch services from late this decade.

Announced by Stockholm’s FMV defence materiel administration on 16 March and valued at SKr209 million ($22.3 million), the pact with SSC Space will lead to the “establishment of satellite launch capability from the company’s Esrange Space Center”.

“The capability will give the [Swedish] armed forces the capacity and availability to launch their own satellites into orbit,” the FMV says.

Building on an initial agreement reached in December 2024, the new arrangement “lays the foundation for the capability to be established in 2028”, the procurement body says.

“The contract covers systems and infrastructure to ensure the protection and availability of the Swedish armed forces, partners and allies’ satellite launches from Esrange,” the FMV says.

“By building a national satellite launch capability from Esrange, we are strengthening both Sweden’s and Europe’s access to space, for both the Swedish armed forces and commercial operators, and contributing to increased resilience and freedom of action in an increasingly strategic domain,” says SSC Space chief executive Charlotta Sund.

Located in northern Sweden, inside the Arctic Circle, Esrange is described by SSC Space as “one of the world’s most versatile space centres”.

The Swedish government in 2023 pledged around SKr1 billion to support the development of a domestic space capability through 2032. That funding will include boosting its military’s space-based situational awareness, as well as launching an undisclosed number of satellites.

In January 2026, the FMV announced a contract with ICEYE of Finland and US company Planet Labs, through which Sweden will receive about 10 satellites from later this year equipped for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.