The Norwegian Space Agency has awarded a contract to Isar Aerospace for the launch of a pair of satellites for the country’s Arctic Ocean Surveillance initiative.
In May 2023, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, Armed Forces, Defence Research Institute, and Space Centre launched the Arctic Surveillance Programme (ASP) to develop satellite-based surveillance capabilities. As part of this initiative, Norway established the Arctic Ocean Surveillance (AOS) initiative to monitor unauthorized fishing, support search and rescue operations, and conduct routine surveillance of hard-to-reach areas in Norwegian waters. The AOS initiative is managed by the Norwegian Space Agency with support from the European Space Agency.
In June 2024, EIDEL was awarded the contract to build the first AOS satellite, AOS-D (AOS-Demo). This satellite will be used to validate the currently “untested payload for maritime surveillance,” which is being developed by Space Norway. In November 2024, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was awarded the contract for the Arctic Ocean Surveillance Precursor (AOS-P) satellite, the first operational satellite of the planned AOS constellation.
In a 12 March update, Isar Aerospace announced that the Norwegian Space Agency had awarded the German rocket builder the contract to launch both AOS-D and AOS-P. The satellites will be launched aboard a Spectrum rocket from the Andøya Spaceport in Norway by 2028.
“For the first time, Norwegian industry is delivering satellites designed and built in Norway under a government contract from a Norwegian launch site,” said Christian Hauglie-Hanssen, Director General of the Norwegian Space Agency.
Preparation for the inaugural flight of Spectrum
Isar Aerospace is in the final stages of preparing for the inaugural flight of its 28-metre, two-stage Spectrum rocket. In February, the company announced the successful completion of hot fire tests for both stages, marking the final development milestone before an initial flight attempt. Isar is now awaiting launch licence approval from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority.
“Our team is in the starting blocks, and we are almost ready for the test flight,” said Isar Aerospace CEO Daniel Metzler.
In the 12 March update, the company appeared to temper expectations for the inaugural flight, stating that it aims to “generate data and experience” that it can apply to future missions.
