Workshop at the European Peace Action forum in Malmö
By Agneta Norberg
Sweden is big in Space technology and industry and far ahead many other nations in international space activities and equipments. Sweden plays an important role in European Space Agency - ESA- and in an ever increasing development of military space tecnology.
In Jan. 2005, a report from the Department of Industry, argues for increasing space technology in aviation and space industry both for military and civil use. It states: "The expanding of Space and aviation industry shall be one of the driving forces for Sweden´s growth and position as a hightechnologic nation" The plan underlines the importance of cooperation with both the US and the European Union, "Cooperation in Research and Technology should be developed to secure access to US research and technology development and secure Swedish corporations the possibilities to be suppliers for future high tech systems."
The biggest space corporations in Sweden are : Ericsson, Saab Space (recently sold to Swizz corporation), Space Corporation and VolvoAero. All these corporations are present on the US market.
SAAB Space supplies Lockheed Martins rockets and satellitesystems. Lockheed Marin is the biggest arms producer in the world and one of the biggest in developing the missile defence systems.
SAAB SPACE is equipping most of the worlds launch vehicles with satellite separation systems. SAAB Space is the leading manufacturer of computers on board satellites on Space Rockets (Ariane systems),Steering systems for soundrockets, exported to NASA. SAAB SPACE is the dominant supplier for Galileo satellites. PRISMA- a flying hightech space laboratory will be launched this year at Esrange.
WHAT IS ESRANGE?
Esrange is the most active groundstation for satellites in the world.
Space Corporation controls or monitors 24 satellites from the satellite station in and around Esrange. That means 92 satellite passeges every 24 hour. Space Corporation is in alliance with US Corporation Univerals Space Net - the Priora net. They cooperate with Taiwan and the US to develope advanced technic for real time surveillance. Esrange cooperates with Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Esrange has together with NASA conducted sucessfull ballonflights from Esrange to Alaska. They make big scientific experiments called Anti Electron - Suborbital Payload and Transition Radiation Array for Cosmic Energetic radiation.
This is finansed by NASA. Olle Nordberg, director for Esrange Space Center says: We have a magnificant cooperation with our American partners.We can offer the researchers long distance balloonflights with heavy instruments on board.
VIDSEL- the largest overland testrange in Europe more than half of Sweden is now an ideal place for North European Aerospace Testrange. In cooperation with NASA the most important test object is UAV. Space Corporation aims to make this area to the best place for suborbital testflights.
North European Aerospace Test Range - NEAT.
This is taken from the advertising folder for NEAT:
Located in the North of Sweden, NEAT is the largest overland test range in Western Europe. We offer our services and experience in consulting, trials support and operations to the aerospace community.
At NEAT, tests of different aerospace vehicles have been performed since the mid-1950s. Missile tests can be conducted by using a restricted ground space of 1650 km2, different targets and drones, and a complete set of test instrumentation.Similarly, sounding rocket and stratospheric baloon flights can be performed using rocket launchers, ground facilities and a dedicated unpopulated ground area covering 5200 km2. Two airfields that can be used by costumers are present in the area with runway lenghts of up to 2500 metres. 12000 km2 restricted airspace is avilable for testing purposes over the range, with a possibility to temprarily extend it to some 20.000 km2.
NEAT resources just a few examples: RADAR systems, -stationary tracking radar,C-band. Mobile tracking radar,X-band and C-band. Mobile impact position radar X-band.Mobile doppler radar, stationary atmospheric and meteor impact scientific radar.
Optical tracking systems: -Cinetheodolite systems - optical tracking platforms,-high speed cameras. GPS sysgtems-mobile differential GPS systems, GPS transponders. Target systems: Remote controlled target drones, towed targets, ground targets remote controlled, fixed ground targets, sea targets remote controlled. For more information: www.neat.se
