Snow, thousands of fir trees as far as the eye can see and a few scattered reindeer. An almost mild temperature for the season, − 8°C. Here and there, a few aerials, satellite dishes and hangars. It is from here, within the Swedish space site of Esrange, 200 kilometers north of the polar circle, that mini-rockets will soon be able to send satellites weighing less than a ton into space. Sweden, which is presiding over the European Union this semester, invited the media on Friday 13 January, including The worldfor the inauguration of this launch pad.
For the occasion, the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, the Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, had made an appointment in the Far North. “This is a great moment for the European space industry”greeted M.me von der Leyen, adding “this spaceport now offers independent European access to space”.
While Europe has been using Kourou, in Guyana, for many years for its heavy launchers, such as Ariane, it did not yet have the infrastructure for small rockets capable of carrying small satellites (up to a few hundreds of kilograms). Unlike the United States or China.
However, according to the various forecasts, the number of satellites to be sent into space should jump in the coming years. If 6,750 active satellites revolve around the globe today, there could be up to 100,000 in 2040, according to Stefan Gardefjord, the director of the Swedish space agency.
“Wonderful Numbers”
According to the latest data published in the summer of 2022 by Euroconsult, a consulting firm specializing in the sector, companies and government agencies around the world are expected to launch in the coming years on average some 1,846 small satellites (less than 500 kg) per year, an average of five per day, compared to just over one per day from 2012 to 2021. A vertiginous acceleration of the market.
“Beware of these staggering figures”, However, warns economist Pierre Lionnet, director of research at Eurospace, which brings together European space manufacturers. “They can be very deceptive. They often come from the announcements of past years of new constellations of communication satellites… Over the past ten years, there have been at least 140 projects presented, but few have actually seen the light of day, because they are not funded. . » Most are, adds another space player, « constellations PowerPoint » : sold to investors on attractive presentations…
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