Norwegian Space Activities - Arctic Access to Space

Norway has a long tradition as a space nation, in no small measure due to its northern position on the globe. Kristian Birkeland's famous Terrella experiment in 1896 in which he created synthetic northern lights can be seen as the start of modern space activities. The Sun Earth connection - studying the Sun and the effects on the Earth system is one of the central scientific topics in Norway. In modern time the focus has indeed shifted more to the use of space for the benefit of our society. The Norwegian use of space is born out of nature's challenges. A harsh climate, vulnerable nature and areas rich in resources must be managed in the High North. Our land and sea areas equal half the size of the EU. Being less than 5 million people, we have to explore the most efficient ways of managing our resources.