Firefly Aerospace ($FLY) announced today that it aims to launch its Alpha rocket from SSC Space’s Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden as early as 2028.
The announcement is the result of years of back-and-forth between the US and Sweden:
- In 2024, SSC Space and Firefly signed an agreement to launch Alpha from Esrange, then targeting a first flight in 2026.
- In June 2025, the US and Sweden signed a Technology Safeguards Agreement, providing the legal framework for US commercial launches to fly from Swedish spaceports.
- In April, the Swedish National Space Agency signed an agreement with the FAA to streamline the launch licensing process, clearing the way for Alpha to fly from Sweden.
Firefly and SSC Space have begun work on the launch infrastructure and completed multiple milestones at Esrange, including:
- A launch-control center;
- A payload-processing facility;
- A launch-vehicle-integration building;
- Tracking and control systems;
- Security and storage facilities;
All that’s left now is to complete the launch pad itself—and a few other launch-related additions—and to begin shipping Alphas from the US to Sweden.
North-pole capacity: The announcement comes as global launch supply is facing unprecedented strain. SpaceX’s Transporter missions are reportedly booked up until 2028, and European efforts to stand up a new crop of sovereign launchers have yet to reach orbit.
In the US, some launch sites in the Lower 48 are approaching capacity, according to the NASA OIG. Firefly is prepositioning itself to overcome these launch-range hurdles in the years ahead.
“We’re not only going to service the European satellite market, we’re also—if you think about it—enabling more launch resiliency for the US and our allies,” Firefly CEO Jason Kim told Payload. “There’s Vandenberg, there’s Florida, and Wallops, but you know all those are going to hit capacity someday…so having access to space through Sweden is really great for resiliency.”
Firefly’s ability to launch from Sweden also allows for missions to more easily reach SSO and polar orbit, as well as higher orbital inclinations, which are in demand among customers given the increased geopolitical activity in the Arctic circle.
Franchise player: Firefly’s agreement with SSC Space is the beginning of a new “franchise” model for Firefly, according to Kim. Under the model, SSC Space will buy Alpha rockets from Firefly, find and integrate customers, and launch with Firefly’s support.
This business model has real money attached. In March, SSC Space signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, securing SEK 209M ($21.5M) to provide the Swedish Armed Forces with satellite-launch capabilities through Alpha.
And with Sweden as the “pathfinder” franchisee, Firefly could make similar moves with other international launch sites in the future. For instance, Firefly is conducting a feasibility study to replicate its model at Japan’s Hokkaido Spaceport.
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