At 7.23 pm (CET) on 23 March, the sounding rocket BROR was launched from Esrange Space Center to an altitude of 240 km where it created a spectacular auroral light show on the evening sky. The research will deepen our knowledge about northern lights and space weather and how they affect us on Earth.

“This was probably one of the most beautiful rocket launches I have experienced from Esrange. But more importantly, this research will pave the way for a deeper understanding of space weather, the phenomenon of aurora and how it affects space infrastructure which is crucial for our societies on Earth. I’m proud of the SSC team that designed the payload and launched the BROR rocket for the scientists at IRF,“ says Krister Sjölander, Vice President Science Services and Head of Payloads & Flight Systems at SSC.

The data from the experiment will be used by IRF scientists in Kiruna to study conditions in near-Earth space which is an important piece of the aurora research puzzle that can enable better forecasts of the Sun’s activity and how its solar wind of charged particles affect critical infrastructure on Earth and satellites.

“I am very happy that our scientific experiment BROR worked out great. We have obtained important results. I hope that an analysis of the obtained data will allow us to take another step in understanding such an amazing phenomenon as the aurora. am eternally grateful to all the participants in the experiment, “ says Tima Sergienko, IRF Scientist and Principal Investigator for the BROR scientific experiment.

This mission is funded by the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA) and prepared in collaboration with Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), DLR MORABA, EISCAT and Clemson University.

More information about the mission: https://sscspace.com/sounding-rocket-bror/

Contact: Philip Ohlsson, SSC Head of Communications, +46 (0)70 721 70 26, philip.ohlsson@sscspace.com

About SSC: Swedish Space Corporation helps Earth benefit from Space. Since the 70’s, SSC has helped space organizations, companies, other commercial actors and research institutes to get access to Space. Our products and services enable successful space projects within Earth observation, telecommunications, security, meteorology, navigation and positioning, scientific research and other applications. Through our local presence on all continents and more than 600 committed employees, we offer specialist expertise in satellite communications, spacecraft operations, rocket and balloon systems, launch services, flight test services and data analytics. Among our strongest assets are Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, set to become first to launch satellites from continental Europe in 2024, as well as one of the world's largest commercial ground station networks for satellite communications. Via our subsidiary GlobalTrust, we also leverage satellite data and analytics applications to help companies, organizations and governments to develop and deliver sustainability strategies. https://sscspace.com/