• Alomar Observatory

    The Alomar Observatory enables international scientists to explore all layers of the Arctic atmosphere with several lidar instruments from its vantage point on top of the Ramnan mountain at Andøya. The observatory features an iconic and easily recognizable shape designed to minimize the effects of wind to provide an optimum environment for the lidar instrumentation.…

  • Reaching for the clouds

    Can clouds help us improve weather forecasts and climate models? That’s what researchers from the MC2 project are trying to find out. The past month they have been conducting reasearch on mixed-phase clouds from Andøya, trying to solve one important piece of the puzzle of the role clouds play in the Earth’s climate. Clouds are…

  • Framsat-1 shake test

    Ref: https://www.andoyaspace.no/articles/framsat-1-shake-test-at-andoya-space Before a satellite is ready for launch it is thoroughly tested to make sure it can withstand both the rocket’s intense shaking and vibrations during launch, as well as the harsh environment of space. The first satellites to be launched from Andøya Spaceport will be several CubeSats from five institutions in Germany, Slovenia…

  • Sub-Orbital

    Here at Andøya Space we define ourselves as someone who empowers explorers. We provide the services and technologies that enable the science communities to explore our atmosphere and space environment and we have a long and proud history of missions. Research and science are close to our hearts and we turn every stone and explore…

  • Where does the water in rain and snow come from?

    The research project ISLAS studies the water cycle in the Norwegian Sea, and where the precipitation in Norway comes from during different weather events. This spring, the ISLAS scientists made simultaneous measurements at Andøya and other locations. Isotopic Links to Atmospheric Water’s Sources (ISLAS) is a research project funded by the European Research Council that…

  • Cal/Val

    After being launched into polar orbit, Earth observation satellites need to calibrate and validate their onboard instruments and then regularly throughout their lifespan. Reliable contribution to Cal/Val activities requires both appropriate state-of-the-art hardware, knowledge and software tools to report to satellite operators. Andøya Space was chosen as a calibration and validation facility for ESAs ADM-Aeolus…

  • Sounding rockets

    Andøya Space have provided suborbital launch services for sounding rockets since the 1960s, and hundreds of rockets have been launched to explore the upper and middle atmosphere in the Arctic. Multi-stage rockets have been launched to altitudes of more than 1600 km. Our customers come from space agencies such as NASA, ESA, JAXA, DLR and…

  • History

    Humans have always been captivated by the beautiful aurora seen in the two polar regions of Earth. There have been many hypotheses of what creates them, and the research spawned a world-leading scientific community in Norway studying the phenomenon from the ground for the past two centuries. In modern times advances in rocket technology meant…