On April 24, at 7:20 a.m. local time, a microgravity rocket was launched from the Esrange Space Center. The rocket took a slightly longer and more westerly trajectory than expected and landed in Norway after completing the flight. A Swedish research rocket, 9 meters long and weighing 1,6 tonnes, fell by mistake on Mount Likkafjellet in Målselv municipality in Troms. The cargo is now back in Esrange.
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The Norwegian Armed Forces Operations Command (FOH) confirms that it has been notified that a rocket has landed in Norway.
A Swedish research rocket landed in Norway
The rocket reached an altitude of 250 kilometers, where experiments were carried out in zero gravity conditions. The rocket and payload landed at an altitude of about 1000 meters in a mountain range, about 40 kilometers northwest of the intended landing site.
Shortly after landing, as is routine, contact was made with the Norwegian and Swedish authorities, as well as other local entities - including the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian FOH.
On Tuesday, the cargo was recovered in good condition and was flown back to Esrange by helicopter. In parallel, an investigation is underway to establish technical details around the non-nominal flight path.
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Too early to speculate on the cause
“This is a deviation that we take seriously. We are now investigating the reason why the rocket flew further northwest than nominal. It's too early to speculate on the cause. We look forward to hearing more from the current investigation," said Marko Kohberg, head of rocket and balloon sounding operations at the Esrange Space Center.
The TEXUS-58 rocket is part of a European program commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA). The payload consisted of three experiments conducted in microgravity.
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Credit: Esrange Space Center, Photo: Esrange Space Center screenshot
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