# Svalbard Rocket Range

The Svalbard Rocket Range or SvalRak as it is named, is a launch site for sounding rockets at Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard, Norway. The site has been in use since 1997 and is owned by Andøya Space Center, which is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and the Kongsberg Group. SvalRak's location at the 79th parallel north makes it well-suited for launching rockets to investigate Earth's magnetic field. It is used mostly by American, Japanese and Norwegian researchers. It is the world's northernmost launch site.

## History

Planning of a launch site in Ny-Ålesund started in 1993, a location chosen because of its ideal location to study the polar cusp. Construction of the site started in the summer of 1997. The Norwegian Institute for Air Research, which conducts air measurements in Ny-Ålesund, was concerned that the rockets could pollute their measurements. A test rocket was launched on 15 November. The first proper launch was an Indian Rohini RH-300 MkII sounding rocket purchased from ISRO and christened Isbjørn 1 (Polar Bear 1). This rocket contained instruments from University Centre in Svalbard, the University of Tromsø and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. The 510-kilogram (1,120 lb) rocket had a payload of 70 kilograms (150 lb) and reached 120 kilometers (75 mi) altitude. It was followed by two Black Brant rockets for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which reached an altitude of 500 kilometers (310 mi).

## Use

SvalRak is the world's northernmost rocket launch site, and is located at the 79th parallel north. This makes it an ideal location for sending instruments into Earth's magnetic field and the polar cups, cleft and cup. It is also used for studying the Magnetopause and aurora borealis, for which Ny-Ålesund is the most convenient location because of its ease of access. It is owned by Andøya Space Center, which is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries (90 percent) and the Kongsberg Group (10 percent). SvalRak has no permanent staff in Ny-Ålesund. The main users are American, Japanese and to a less extent Norwegian scientists.

## Launches

SvalRak originally held permission to fire four rockets every two years. Forty-one rockets had been launched by 2004, with a peak altitude of 1,108 kilometers (688 mi). The site was upgraded in 2018.
| Date | Vehicle | Description | Agency | Apogee (km) |
| 1997 November 20 | RH-300 Mk II | ISBJORN-1 Ionosphere mission | NDRE | 71 |
| 1997 November 20 | Viper 3A | ISBJORN-2 (MD-5) Aeronomy mission | NDRE | 97 |
| 1997 December 2 | Black Brant IX | Plasma mission | NASA | 433 |
| 1997 December 3 | Black Brant IX | Plasma mission | NASA | 446 |
| 2000 December 4 | SS-520 | Ionosphere mission | ISAS | 1108 |
| 2001 July 16 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 108 |
| 2001 July 19 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 105 |
| 2001 July 22 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 July 22 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 July 25 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 July 28 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 July 31 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 July 31 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 2 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 6 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 9 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 12 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 17 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 17 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 20 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 20 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 23 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 27 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 28 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 28 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 August 29 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 1 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 5 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 6 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 8 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 11 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 11 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 14 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 14 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2001 September 14 | Viper 3A | ROMA Aeronomy mission | DLR | 100 |
| 2002 December 14 | Black Brant 10CM1 | Plasma mission | NASA | 772 |
| 2003 July 1 | Improved Orion | ROMA 2003 Aeronomy mission | DLR | 85 |
| 2003 July 4 | Improved Orion | ROMA 2003 Aeronomy mission | DLR | 85 |
| 2003 July 6 | Improved Orion | ROMA 2003 Aeronomy mission | DLR | 85 |
| 2003 November 28 | Nike Improved Orion | FAILURE: Failure | NDRE | 12 |
| 2004 January 22 | Black Brant 10CM1 | SERSIO Plasma mission | NASA | 790 |
| 2008 December 5 | VS-30/Orion | ARR ICI-2 | Sweden | |
| 2011 December 3 | VS-30/Orion | ICI-3 | Sweden | 354 |