A research rocket that malfunctioned and was launched from Sweden has landed in Norway. It is now the subject of an investigation.
According to reports, the Norwegian foreign ministry stated that its authorities take “any unauthorized activity” on its side of the border “very seriously.”
Before it deviated from its intended route, scientists were investigating weightlessness and carrying out zero-gravity experiments. The rocket had reached orbit at a height of 250 kilometers (155 miles) when it went astray.
According to Sweden Space Company (SSC), which was responsible for the launch, it followed a somewhat longer and more westerly course than anticipated.
The rocket and its payload came down about 40km northwest of the planned landing site in a mountainous area 15km (9.3 miles) inside Norway.Â
It was “10km from the closest settlement,” said Philip Ohlsson from SSC, and landed in an area where nobody lives.
The payload is being recovered, and according to SSC, an investigation will determine the technical causes of the unforeseen flight path.
According to Mr. Ohlsson, procedures are in place for when such things go wrong. The company tells the governments of Norway and Sweden as well as others.
Lennart Poromaa, the director of the Esrange Space Center, told the Norwegian news outlet NRK that Norway’s defense officials had received advance knowledge of the launch and were updated when the rocket landed there.
According to NRK, the operational headquarters of the Norwegian military verified receiving these two signals from the Swedish.
