LONDON—Sweden’s military just launched its first satellite in May, but its top space officer is already worried that bottlenecks at U.S. and European launch facilities could slow the development of urgently needed orbital capabilities.
The satellite, built by Planet Labs and launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg AFB, California, went up four years ahead of schedule because of the “severe security situation,” Swedish Armed Forces Rear Adm. Anders Sundeman, the country’s space chief, told reporters during a media event here. “Time is of essence.”
As Sweden looks to grow its space assets, it will need to rely on U.S. launch providers which are being overbooked and strained by skyrocketing military and commercial demands for new satellites.
“We, of course, are worrying about the limited launching capability, also, in a global scale,” Swedish Armed Forces Rear Adm. Anders Sundeman, the country’s space chief, told Defense One on the sidelines of a media event here. “It is a problem for sure.”
Later this year, the country plans to launch a Finnish-made ICEYE satellite, a synthetic aperture radar. In total, the military aims to have 10 operational satellites on orbit in the coming years.
As orbital demands increase, it will be harder to get rides from U.S. providers into space, which is why Sweden has been working for five years to turn its main space-research center into a launch pad for orbital missions.
“That’s the reason why we are keen on the launch facility in Esrange in Sweden, for example, [to] succeed,” Sundeman said. “There are some other initiatives in Europe. So, we need to improve their launching capability also in a global perspective.”
SSC Space, formerly known as the Swedish Space Corporation, is owned by the country’s government. It’s the European Union’s first mainland spaceport. The facility will host its first orbital satellite launch, aboard Texas-based Firefly’s Alpha rocket, in 2028, according to a news release.
“Adding an orbital launch capability to mainland Europe will strengthen the continent’s capabilities and competitiveness in the commercial space arena, while contributing to greater resilience and strategic autonomy within the defense domain,” Charlotta Sund, CEO and SSC Space group president, said in last month’s release.
As Sweden looks to expand its footprint in space, Russia has been reportedly degrading GPS in the region.
In September, the Swedish Transport Agency accused Russia of increased interference and jamming over the Baltic Sea. In 2023, there were 55 total incidents. That skyrocketed to more than 700 interferences in 2025, the BBC reported.
China previously had access to the Swedish Space Corporation’s ground stations in Kiruna, Chile and Australia, according to the Secure World Foundation’s Global Counterspace Capabilities report. In 2020, SSC officials said they would not renew China’s contracts citing a change in the “geopolitical situation.”
When asked about the pursuit of counterspace weapons, Sundeman said the main focus has been on its initial space assets which don’t have offensive capabilities but are as “robust” as possible. When asked about defending its country’s growing fleet, the space officer added that large constellations are one part of protecting it from adversaries in the future.
“One things is, of course, large quantity,” Sundeman said. “And also, it’s the necessity to cooperate with others, that’s a kind of protection by itself.”
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