#ThrowBack ⏪: When a sounding rocket lands after a mission, the payload must be retrieved from its landing position. Today, helicopters and snowmobiles are most common, but if the cargo ended up in a remote place back in the 60’s, sometimes skis or snowshoes had to be used 🎿 🚁

TEXUS 60 rocket soon to be launched from Esrange Space Center today. We're at T-23 min now and you can follow the launch on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/watch?v=ZV8MI2… Deutsche Raumfahrtagentur Airbus Space #rocketlaunch #esrange

Without Space, everyday life stops: On dry land or even in the air, satellite-based navigation systems provide geolocation and time information anywhere on Earth – from guiding airplanes in the sky to navigating submarines down in the darkest oceans ✈️

#ThrowBack ⏪: In 1978, SSC installed the very first antenna, Landsat, at Esrange. Today, SSC have ground stations strategically located around the world, all part of one of the largest civilian ground station networks in the world 📡 🌍

Only at Esrange you will be able to test reusable rockets, launch stratospheric balloons, suborbital rockets and orbital rockets from the same facility. This makes Esrange an important asset for both Sweden, Europe and the rest of the world 🚀 🌍

Without Space, everyday life stops: In emergency situations, space applications help the emergency services and other authorities to get linked together and coordinate their response 🚑 🌐

Lunar missions help us understand what technologies we need to develop for future space exploration and longer missions. Thus, the Moon is ultimately a springboard for a future permanent presence on Mars. And in the not-so-distant future, other planets as well 🌕 🚀

#ThrowBack ⏪: In 2003, the SMART-1 satellite was launched and later deliberately crashed into the lunar surface after orbiting the Moon in search of water. The satellite was designed and manufactured by SSC and was the first European spacecraft to enter orbit around the Moon🛰️🌕

#ThrowBack ⏪: Esrange was built in 1964 by the predecessor of the European Space Agency, ESA, and has been in Swedish ownership since 1972 when the predecessor of SSC took over the operations. The first rocket from Esrange was launched in 1966.

ANNOUNCING 🚀 We have signed a collaborative agreement with Perigee Aerospace Inc. to launch satellites jointly from Esrange, starting 2025. Perigee’s Blue Whale 1 microlauncher will be the first-ever orbital rocket launched from Esrange. Read more here: sscspace.com/ssc-and-perige…

#ThrowBack ⏪: 2005 skickade NASA sin första stratosfäriska långdistansballong, BLAST, från Esrange till Kanada, med ett gigantiskt astronomiskt submillimeter-teleskop 🔭

#ThrowBack ⏪: In 2005, NASA launches its first long-distance stratospheric balloon, BLAST, from Esrange to Canada, carrying a giant submillimeter astronomical telescope 🔭

#ThrowBack ⏪: In 2012, the MASER 12 sounding rocket was launched from Esrange Space Center. The flight provided six minutes of microgravity for the onboard experiments, before landing safely back on Earth 🚀

#ThrowBack ⏪: Swedish space operations began 1961 in Nausta with the launch of a rocket called “the sewing needle”. Activities later moved to Kronogård in 1962 and continued at Esrange Space Center in 1966 where a wide range of missions have been launched over the years.

#ThrowBack ⏪: In 1974, the very first stratospheric balloon, SAMBO 1, was launched from Esrange. These balloons are used for various experiments and tests at an altitude of 15-45 km, allowing for long-duration missions up to a week long 🎈🌌

#ThrowBack ⏪: In 1987, the first sounding rocket of SSC’s microgravity sounding rocket program, MASER-1, was launched from Esrange. The launch provided 7 minutes of microgravity with almost 300 km apogee 🚀

With everything from satellite constellations observing Earth, to biological research onboard sounding rockets in microgravity, it’s fair to say that we help life on Earth by exploring space and that our daily lives as we know it – is made possible by the space industry 🛰️ 🚀 🌍

#ThrowBack ⏪: Sweden’s first rocket was launched in 1961 from a forest glade by a group of students, engineers and scientists. To this day, SSC still launches this kind of research rockets from Esrange to Space 🚀

Alpha is coming to Esrange! Together with Firefly Aerospace, SSC is establishing an orbital launch service in Sweden. This new partnership will unlock a capability for the expanding European satellite market, aiming at a first launch in 2026 🚀🤩🇺🇸🇸🇪 sscspace.com/ssc-and-firefl…

Thanks to the use of advanced carbon composite technologies for the entire airframe and cryogenic propellant tanks, Alpha is a lightweight vehicle with exceptional performance capabilities - making it an excellent launch vehicle partner for SSC🚀 @firefly_aerospace