posted 05-22-2016 03:45 AM               

Space Cover 369: SvalRak launch site

Svalbard Rocket Range or simply SvalRak is a sounding rocket launch site located at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway.

Owned by Andoya Rocket Range, the main launch site from Norway, SvalRak was constructed in summer of 1997 and is focused to study Earth’s magnetic field.

A test Norwegian rocket named Isbjörn 1 (derivative from an American sounding rocket Viper 3A) was launched on Nov 15, 1997, as showed in the above cover.

The rocket contained instruments from University of Svalbard, University of Tromsø and the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (NRDE). It reached 71 km altitude and contained 70 kg of scientific payload but test was a failure.

A second launch, Isbjörn 2-MD 5 was performed on Nov 20, 1997 as an aeronomy mission. In this case, the rocket reached 97 km altitude and was the first successful launch from this little rocket site for polar measurements.

The bottom cover commemorates this launch.