The Swedish study will consider whether a rocket could be safely fitted to the Gripen, with a particular focus on the ground clearance.
FARNBOROUGH—The Swedish Air Force has begun a study into the possibility of launching a satellite from its Saab Gripen fighter aircraft.
The service’s Stella study, launched by its space division in conjunction with the country’s Defense Research Agency, is inspired by the potential need for a responsive launch capability, driven in part by the country’s newly published armed forces space strategy.
Col. Ella Carlsson, head of the Swedish Air Force’s Space Division, told journalists at the annual gathering of the Swedish Air Force Fan Club on the eve of the Farnborough Airshow on July 21 that the idea for the Stella study had been inspired by an interview with the former director general of the Ukrainian Space Agency. The former leader had said that responsive satellite launch with an aircraft would have been a useful capability to have in the lead-up to the Russian invasion.
One Swedish university, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, has looked into whether such a capability is viable, Carlsson said, and that research had suggested that an air-launched rocket could enable satellites weighing 2 kg to be launched. The study will consider whether a rocket could be safely fitted to the Gripen, with a particular focus on the ground clearance. “They are making calculations,” Carlson said, “but if we need to rebuild the aircraft [to accommodate the rocket], we won’t do it,” she said.
Sweden would not be the first European country to consider such a capability. In September 2019, the Italian Air Force established a framework agreement with industry and academia to consider launching small satellites from Italian combat aircraft, notably the Eurofighter Typhoon. Air-launch from an aircraft is appealing for Italy, which has extensive space experience developing satellites and launch vehicles but cannot launch from its own territory.
Sweden, on the other hand, does have the ability to launch satellites from its territory and is readying its Esrange center for satellite launch, primarily for polar orbits.
U.S. launch provider Firefly Aerospace and South Korean space company Perigee have signed agreements to launch from the site. Carlsson noted, however, that the Gripen’s ability to perform dispersed operations could be a useful additional capability for responsive launch, too.
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