A NASA-funded sounding rocket lifts off from Andøya during an auroral research launch in 2010. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory. Photo by Kolbjørn Blix Dahle, Andøya Rocket Range (via Flickr).
Northern Norway has a unique position in the European space landscape.
Andøya Space has more than 60 years of space expertise and has established low Earth orbit launch facilities through Andøya Spaceport AS.
KSAT and Space Norway have also expanded their activities. This gives Northern Norway real competitive advantages. But how can local actors strengthen their connections to European policy and governance?
That's the question Johannes Schmied-Wirén, senior advisor at High North Center, will address when he delivers a keynote at Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø next week.
Schmied-Wirén’s idea of a roadmap for bridging Arctic space activities with European stakeholders is being developed together with his co-speaker James Francis from European Space Policy Institute, Andreas Raspotnik (director at High North Center) and Fredrik Korpe (Head of department at Invest in Norway).
– We need to break down the silos, says Schmied-Wirén.
– Tech- and industry, governance, natural science, and social science research often operate separately. If we open up more dialogue, we can learn a lot from each other.
Regional opportunities
He points to concrete opportunities for the region: satellites launched from the Arctic can better observe northern areas due to their orbital paths, and there's potential for stronger Nordic cooperation.
At the same time, the region faces demographic and socioeconomic challenges that space activity could help address. Through jobs, innovation, and increased relevance on the European stage.
He also highlights growing European interest in space autonomy. Projects like IRIS², Europe's more niche-based answer to SpaceX's Starlink, show the strategic importance of building European capacity.
– Europe needs to build this economy and a certain power. Otherwise, it becomes quite challenging to promote European values on Space sustainability and quality of life. You have no negotiation power, says Schmied-Wirén.
HNC at Arctic Frontiers
The space roadmap is one of several HNC activities during Arctic Frontiers 2026.
Anders C. Edstrøm speaks on critical minerals and geopolitics, Andreas Raspotnik joins a panel on Arctic security and sustainability, and Arne O. Holm discusses EU-Norway relations.
Here's an overview over our participation:
Monday, February 2nd:
- 15.30-17.00: Critical Minerals: Supply Chains, Geopolitics, China, and the Arctic. Joint event with Fridtjof Nansen Institute. Panel on geopolitical dynamics of critical minerals and the Nordic Arctic region.
- Location: Margarinfabrikken 2, the Edge.
- HNC participation by: Anders C. Edstrøm.
Tuesday, February 3rd:
- 15.30-17.00: Governance and Policy for Sustainable Space Activities – Part 2. Johannes presents: "A Space roadmap to bridge between Arctic space activities and European policy stakeholders."
- Location: Arbeidskontoret 2, the Edge.
- HNC participation by: Johannes Schmied-Wirén.
- 15.30-17.00: Reconciling Security, Development, and Sustainability in the Arctic. Panel discussions on geopolitics, sustainability, and business development.
- Location: Importkompaniet, the Edge.
- HNC participation by: Andreas Raspotnik.
Wednesday, February 3rd:
- 18.00-19.30: Hva skjer når EU stemmer nei til Norge? Panel on EU-Norway relations, trade, and security implications.
- Location: Importkompaniet, the Edge.
- HNC participation by: Arne O. Holm.
