Perigee, SSC to cooperate on space launch vehicle

South Korea's small space launch vehicle startup Perigee Aerospace Inc. announced on Wednesday that it partnered with the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) to expand its space launch operations in the European region.

The Swedish state-owned SSC owns the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna in northern Sweden.

Established in 1966, Esrange Space Center has been used for scientific research rockets, engines, and fuel tests, but was converted into a small satellite launch site in 2023.

Perigee is developing a small space launch vehicle called Blue Whale 1 with a target launch date in 2025. If launching a European satellite, it plans to launch from the Swedish Space Center.

The center's high latitude near the Earth's axis makes it advantageous for polar or sun-synchronous orbit insertions.

Perigee explained that if Blue Whale 1 launches from Sweden, it will be the first orbit launch from a European location excluding Russia.

Perigee and SSC will collaborate on sales and marketing efforts to secure European small satellite customers.

Europe has a high demand for small satellites for weather observation, security purposes, etc., but most launches currently occur from the French Guiana Space Center in South America.

According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the European small satellite market is expected to grow from $3.6 billion in 2021 to $6 billion by 2029.

Write to Kang-Ho Jang at callme@hankyung.com