Norwegian-Dutch Nanosatellites Successfully Launched
Stay informed with our
free newsletters

Norwegian-Dutch Nanosatellites Successfully Launched

Two Norwegian-Dutch nanosatellites were successfully launched today. “Birkeland” and “Huygens” were placed in orbit around the earth by the company SpaceX. MilSpace2 is a cooperation project between the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).

Defence Vision 2035 states that space has become a crucial link in the information-driven operations of the armed forces. The defence organisation is very dependent on satellites, for example for navigation and communication systems.

This is the second time that the Netherlands Ministry of Defence has launched satellites. It is therefore implementing Defence Vision 2035.

Small Satellites  - Market and Technology Forecast to 2033

Small Satellites - Market and Technology Forecast to 2033

Market forecasts by Region, Type, Application, and End-User. Country Analysis, Market and Technology Overview including Critical Raw Materials, Opportunity Analysis, and Leading Company Profiles

Download free sample pages More information

The satellites, each of which is not much larger than six one-litre cartons of milk, each measuring approximately 30x20x10 cm, are named after Norwegian physicist Kristian Olaf Birkeland and the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens.

MilSpace
Strategic mutual assistance in research and technology (SMART), military use of space (MilSpace) and cooperation in science and technology are elements of the bilateral agreement between the ministries of defence of the Netherlands and Norway.

The project team that is acting on behalf of the two ministries consists of the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).


Publishdate:
Jan 3, 2023
NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre
View original News release

Military Tactical Communications Summit

Military Tactical Communications Summit

National Harbor, MD
Sep 10 - 11, 2025

View agenda
National Forum on FOCI 2025

National Forum on FOCI 2025

Washington, DC
Sep 29 - 30, 2025

View agenda