Satellites, Space Infrastructure and Their Use

Norway’s AIS satellites monitor ship traffic in Norwegian and international waters. These satellites detect Automatic Identification Signals (AIS) from ships, revealing the ship's position, speed and direction.

AIS is a maritime anti-collision system which all vessels above 300 gross tonnes are required to carry. Norway’s AISSat-1 was the first satellite to detect AIS in real time from polar orbit.

This satellite was launched on 12 July 2010 from India. AISSat-1 weighs only 6 kilograms and is only20 x 20 x 20 centimeters in size.

AISSat-1 was primarily intended as a technology demonstration showing it was possible to detect AIS from orbit, but the satellite performed so well that it quickly became an operational satellite.

After more than ten years in space, the satellite’s instruments began to fail, and the satellite was phased out in 2022.

AISSat-1 originally orbited at 635 kilometer height, but has since 2010 lost altitude to approximately607 kilometers height. The satellite will continue to descend for the next few years before burning up in the atmosphere.

The success with AISSat-1 led to the construction of a twin satellite, AISSat-2, launched on 8 July 2014. A third satellite, AISSat-3, was unfortunately lost during the launch in Russia in November 2017.

AISSat-2 detects Automatic Identification Signals (AIS) from ships, revealing their position, speed and direction.

AIS is a maritime anti-collision system which all vessels above 300 gross tonnes are required to carry.AISSat-2’s predecessor and twin, Norway’s AISSat-1, was the first satellite in the world to detect AIS in real time from polar orbit. AISSat-1 is no longer in operation.

AISSat-2’s ground stations are located in Vardø and Svalbard.

In addition to its AIS receiver, NorSat-1 also carries a science instrument, 4-NLP, which measures electrical turbulence in the ionosphere. This turbulence can interrupt navigation signals from satellites as well as radio communication in space, in the air and on the ground.

4-NLP was developed by researchers at the Institute for Physics at the University of Oslo, and provides them with data at a resolution one thousand times higher than similar types of data from other satellites.

NorSat-1 also carries the instrument CLARA for research on solar radiation for Swiss scientists.

This satellite uses ground stations in Vardø and Svalbard.

NorSat-1 was built by the Norwegian space industry, financed by the Norwegian Space Agency and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Development and building of the satellite bus was done in Canada at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS SFL).

In addition to monitoring ship traffic, NorSat-2 also tests out new technology for transferring data between ships and land over the AIS system, called VDES (VHS Data Exchange System). VDES may become a new international standard for two-way maritime communication.

NorSat-2 uses ground stations in Vardø and Svalbard.

NorSat-2 was built by the Norwegian space industry, financed by the Norwegian Space Agency and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Development and building of the satellite bus was done in Canada at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS SFL).

In addition to the AIS receiver, NorSat-3 carries an experimental navigation radar detector (NRD). NorSat-3 is primarily demonstrating this technology, but will also provide data for more comprehensive maritime surveillance.

This new payload monitors ships by detecting the signals from the navigation radars that ships carry, enabling the Norwegian Coastal Administration to verify information from AIS data, as well as detect ships that are not emitting AIS signals.

NorSat-3 uses ground stations in Vardø and Svalbard.

NorSat-3 was built by the Norwegian space industry, financed by the Norwegian Space Agency and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Development and building of the satellite bus was done in Canada at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS SFL).

NorSat-TD is testing new technology and procedures for Norwegian companies, governmental departments and international partners.

This will increase competency of the Norwegian space sector in several fields, including advanced communication technology, in-orbit operations and control of satellites in space.

NorSat-TD is testing satellite-to-ground station communication by laser technology. This is done in cooperation with the Dutch space organization Netherlands Space Office.

The French company ThrustMe and the French space organization Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) are using NorSat-TD to test a new electrical rocket engine with iodine as fuel.

NorSat-TD also carries a new and small laser reflector from the Italian research organization Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. This reflector will measure distance to and position of the satellite. This data is used for satellite navigation and geodetics.

A new technology for improved two-way maritime communication between satellites, ships and land, is also being tested with NorSat-TD. This system may contribute to the development of a robust small band network in the polar regions.

Moreover, NorSat-TD carries a new fifth generation AIS receiver to monitor ship traffic and performresearch on the internet-of-things in the Arctic.

Norway and the Netherlands have been collaborating on MilSpace2 since 2017. The project is funded by the defense ministries of both countries. Birkeland is one of the two satellites in MilSpace2. These nanosatellites are about the size of a small suitcase and orbit in a polar trajectory to detect, classify, and accurately geolocate radar systems of interest.

Norway and the Netherlands have been collaborating on MilSpace2 since 2017. The project is funded by the defense ministries of both countries. Huygens is one of the two satellites in MilSpace2. These nanosatellites are about the size of a small suitcase and orbit in a polar trajectory to detect, classify, and accurately geolocate radar systems of interest.

ArcSat is a test satellite designed to enhance military communication in the Northern regions. The satellite aims to extend the range of military communication and improve overall connectivity.

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) is a commercial company providing services for downlinking and uplinking of Earth Observation satellites, and services and data products for maritime surveillance.

KSAT’s main offices and one of their ground stations are located in Tromsø, with additional offices and ground station in Svalbard, and ground stations in Grimstad and Antarctica. KSAT’s ground station in Antarctica (TrollSat) is co-located with the Norwegian research station Troll in Queen Maud Land.

KSAT is the only company in the world offering a pole-to-pole solution for downlinking of satellite data, which provides communication with polar satellites twice per orbit.

The first Norwegian sounding rocket was launched from the then named Andøya Rocket Range in August 1962, making Norway one of the first space nations in the world.

Andøya Space launches both sounding rockets and research balloons from Andøya and Svalbard. The company’s customers include space organizations, universities and research institutions from all over the world.

Andøya Space has two launch sites for suborbital rockets. One at Andøya and one at Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard. A suborbital rocket does not fly high enough to reach low Earth orbit.

Currently, Andøya Space is building Andøya Spaceport, a launch base for lofting small satellites into polar orbit, for both commercial and space organization customers.

Andøya Space also includes Alomar, a lidar observatory for atmospheric research, as well as ground based scientific instruments.

Andøya Space offers testing and validation of defense technology. Andøya Space Education has courses in space related subjects for students and teachers.

EISCAT (European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association) is an international research organization with member organizations in several countries. EISCAT carries out radar measurements of the ionosphere and atmosphere for scientific purposes, such as the aurora borealis. EISCAT’s radar arrays are located in Norway (Tromsø and Svalbard), Finland and Sweden.

The Vardø Ground Station consists of two antennas and a container with technical equipment. The facility is used to communicate with the Norwegian small satellites, and is jointly owned by the Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Space Agency. 

As of September 2023, the ground station actively supports the operations of six satellites, although it's worth noting that two of these satellites are no longer operational in providing AIS data to the Coastal Administration.

The Vardø Ground Station was constructed during the years 2014/2015 and commenced its operational phase in May 2015. The development and ongoing management of this facility is overseen by Statsat.

The antenna serves various purposes, including supporting the AIS mission for the Norwegian Coast Guard, managing the NorSat satellites, and conducting experiments with satellites such as NorSat-TD and the upcoming NorSat-4 (scheduled for launch in 2024). Notably, the antenna is capable of receiving data from satellites operating on both S and X band frequencies. 

The introduction of X-band reception enables faster connections, which is a new capability. NorSat-4, in particular, will utilize X-band for transmitting large volumes of imagery captured by its low-light camera.

KSAT serves as the host for this antenna, while the actual control and operation of the antenna are overseen by Statsat, headquartered in Oslo.

The activities in Space Norway include technology and infrastructure where there is a particular need for governmental management.

For example, Space Norway owns and maintains the fiber optic cable connecting Svalbard withmainland Norway. In addition to carrying satellite data to customers all over the world, this fiber system is the main communication link between Svalbard and the rest of the world. The fiber connection has provided important space-related business developments and benefits for the entirecommunity in Svalbard.

Space Norway also owns and maintains a satellite connection between the Norwegian research station Troll in Antarctica and Norway via Telenor's Thor-7 satellite.

Space Norway is currently in the process of developing satellites for polar orbit. HEOSAT consists of two satellites that will use an elliptical polar orbit and provide broadband for the Arctic.

Statsat also led the work on the establishment of the Norwegian Coastal Administration's groundstation in Vardø, which is the primary point for communication with these satellites. This ground station was completed in April 2015.

Statsat’s control center is located at Skøyen in Oslo, with their own proprietary software called DyST. This software system is used for planning missions, communicate with Norway’s satellites and manage their activities.

DyST has been developed to be as autonomous as possible with minimal requirements for manual involvement. The result is a control center without permanent staffing which repairs errors onboard the satellites automatically.

Our task is to promote and maintain Norway's interests in the European space organization ESA, in the EU's satellite navigation programs EGNOS and Galileo, in the EU's Earth observation program Copernicus, as well as several bilateral agreements for activities in space.

In addition, NOSA manages national funds, supports the Norwegian industry and prepares strategies for space activities in Norway.

Norway's vision for activities in space vision focuses on Norway being one of the countries in the world that uses and benefits the most from space. The vision is also based on the idea that spaceactivities can solve important needs in society.

Thus, the overall objective of Norwegian space activities is to make significant and sustained contributions to increased value creation, innovation, knowledge development, social and environmental security.

For Norway to achieve these goals, NOSA is involved in European space activities on several levels and multiple organizations.

The Norwegian Space Agency manages Norway's membership in the European space organization ESA. This membership, and the influence Norway has in the organization, is of decisive importance.

ESA has been the main arena for European space activities since its founding in 1975. Norway has actively contributed to making ESA work, and has gained influence through this work. Byparticipating in ESAs committees and in various leadership positions, Norway's ESA membership safeguards Norwegian interests.

Participation in ESA programs is the main tool for developing the Norwegian space industry, and the Norwegian Space Agency works to position the industry for winning contracts. This takes place in close cooperation with the companies themselves.

Norway also participates in the EU's two major investments in space: the satellite navigation programs Galileo and EGNOS, and the Earth observation program Copernicus. The Norwegian Space Agencyworks to ensure that Norwegian industry, research organizations and administration benefit as much as possible from the EU programmes.

The Norwegian Space Center (NRS) is a Norwegian government agency under the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries. One of our responsibilities is to help create growth for Norwegian high-tech industry linked to international space activities.