EU inaugurates first mainland satellite launch port

The European Union wants to bolster its capacity to launch small satellites into space with a new launchpad in Arctic Sweden. European officials and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the EU’s first mainland orbital launch complex on Friday during a visit to Sweden by members of the European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm. The new facility at Esrange Space Center near the city of Kiruna should complement the EU’s current launching capabilities in French Guiana. More

(Source: AP News - Jan 14)