Europe's route to orbit no longer runs only through French Guiana. Alongside the long-established Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, a set of northern spaceports in Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden is being built up for small and medium launchers. For satellite operators planning a European launch, the choice of site shapes which orbits are reachable, how often launches can happen and which vehicles are available.
Kourou, French Guiana: Europe's Spaceport
Kourou, operated with CNES and ESA, is Europe's main gateway to space. Its position close to the equator gives rockets a boost from Earth's rotation, which makes it well suited to geostationary transfer missions as well as polar and sun-synchronous orbits. It is the launch site for Ariane 6 and Vega-C, the two workhorses of European institutional and commercial access to space.
Andøya, Norway: polar orbits from 69° North
Andøya Spaceport in Andenes, northern Norway, sits at around 69° North. Its location opens up polar and sun-synchronous orbits with inclinations of roughly 90° to 110.6°, the orbits most used by Earth observation satellites. According to the operator, the site is planned for up to 30 launches per year. Its first launch customer is the German company Isar Aerospace with its Spectrum rocket.
Andøya Spaceport is designed to give European customers independent access to polar and sun-synchronous orbits.Summary of Andøya Space's spaceport description
SaxaVord, Shetland, UK
SaxaVord Spaceport on the island of Unst, the northernmost point of the United Kingdom, is described by the operator as supporting the launch of small satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits. According to SaxaVord, it is the UK’s first fully licensed vertical launch spaceport. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) carried out the hot fire campaign for the first stage of its RFA One vehicle at SaxaVord.
Esrange, Sweden
Esrange Space Center near Kiruna in northern Sweden, operated by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), has decades of experience with sounding rockets and stratospheric balloons. SSC is developing capabilities for orbital launches and reusable rocket testing at the site.
What this means for satellite operators
- GTO and equatorial missions: Kourou remains the European answer.
- Polar and SSO missions: the northern spaceports offer direct, short routes to high inclinations.
- Launch cadence: more sites mean more slots and less dependence on a single location.
- Sovereignty: European sites keep sensitive payloads within European jurisdiction.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Europe launch its rockets?
Ariane 6 and Vega-C launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. New spaceports for small launchers are being developed at Andøya in Norway, SaxaVord in Shetland and Esrange in Sweden.
Which European spaceport is best for polar orbits?
Northern sites such as Andøya, at around 69° North, offer direct routes to polar and sun-synchronous orbits. Kourou, close to the equator, is best suited to geostationary missions.
Which rockets fly from Andøya and SaxaVord?
Isar Aerospace launches its Spectrum rocket from Andøya. Rocket Factory Augsburg carried out the hot fire campaign for the first stage of RFA One at SaxaVord Spaceport.
Related reading
- Heliosynchronous Orbit: What It Means and Why Earth Observation Depends on It
- Small Launchers Compared: Electron, Spectrum, RFA One and Vega-C
- Launch Range Safety: How Rocket Launches Are Licensed and Protected
Sources
- Andøya Space: Andøya Spaceport
- ESA: Europe's Spaceport
- SaxaVord Spaceport
- SSC: Esrange Space Center
- Rocket Factory Augsburg
Cover image: AI-generated illustration (Carrier Space, created with OpenAI). It does not show the actual launch sites.