Swedish Rocket Crash on Norwegian Soil Leaves Norway Displeased

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its displeasure on Tuesday with Sweden for not informing it immediately of a research missile that crashed in Norway, in a rare dispute between the two neighbors.

The rocket, which was launched early Monday from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, northern Sweden, plunged into a mountainside in the northernmost municipality of Malsylve, about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the nearest populated area.

No one was injured and no material damage was reported.

“The fall of a missile like this is a very serious incident that could cause serious damage,” the Foreign Ministry said in Oslo.

“When such a border violation occurs, it is essential that officials immediately report it to the relevant Norwegian authorities through appropriate channels,” she said.

The rocket was conducting experiments in zero gravity at an altitude of 250 km.

“The rocket took a slightly longer and westerly trajectory than calculated and landed after a full flight 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) inside Norway,” the Swedish Space Agency said in a statement on Monday.

She added, “Work is underway to retrieve the cargo.”

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also indicated that the retrieval work should not have begun without Norwegian permission, which was not granted.

The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority said it learned of the incident from the press release issued by the Swedish Space Corporation on Monday.

© 2023 AFP