Space Norway

Space Norway, headquartered in Oslo and established in 2014 as a fully government-owned company under Norway's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, is the Norwegian state space company responsible for developing and operating satellite-based infrastructure serving the Norwegian government, Arctic region stakeholders, and commercial customers — with its most significant program being the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), which provides broadband connectivity to the High Arctic where GEO satellites cannot reach due to geometry constraints.

Space Norway's flagship ASBM constellation consists of two satellites (ASBM-1 and ASBM-2) in highly elliptical Molniya-type orbits with orbital inclinations of approximately 63.4 degrees — a special orbit where the argument of perigee is stable and the satellite spends long periods at high northern latitudes (apogee over the Arctic). Two satellites in complementary Molniya orbits provide continuous coverage above 65°N latitude, enabling broadband internet service for Arctic shipping routes (the Northern Sea Route increasingly usable as Arctic ice retreats), Norwegian Svalbard archipelago residents and research stations, Norwegian coast guard and fisheries patrol vessels, and Arctic offshore energy infrastructure.

The ASBM satellites (each weighing approximately 3,000 kg, built by MDA Space) use Ka-band high-throughput satellite technology providing capacity of several hundred Gbps across the Arctic coverage zone, with user terminals aboard vessels and fixed installations. SpaceX launched both satellites on Falcon 9 vehicles. The project received financial support from the Norwegian government and the U.S. government (DoD Arctic connectivity interest) through a public-private structure involving SES as a strategic partner for satellite operations and capacity management.

Space Norway also manages Norway's satellite tracking infrastructure (NORSAT series of small satellites), research satellite programs, and coordinates Norwegian participation in international space cooperation. The company's role bridges commercial satellite operations and Norwegian sovereign infrastructure requirements in one of the world's most strategically important and challenging communications environments.