Education, Andøya | Sending Millions to Space

Andøya Space is partnering when the University of Tromsø, Narvik Campus, wants to establish a new space centre. The centre being applied for these days has been given the attractive name Centre for Sustainable Space Operations (CUSP).

– The center will work with research programs that address the sustainable use of space, with topics such as sustainable materials, space operations, durability, legislation and innovation. The center will be established in collaboration with NTNU as an academic partner, NORCE as a research institute connected at the margin between academia and industry, as well as industrial partners such as Andøya Space, Alcoa Norway and KSAT, according to a press release from Nordland County Municipality.

An application is currently on its way to the Norwegian Research Council. If the centre’s plans are implemented there, it will also receive support of NOK 4 million from Nordland County Council. The grant is divided into NOK 500,000 per year for 8 years.

– The centre is scheduled to start operating on 1 January 2026 and will have a lifespan of eight years. The maximum grant from the NFR is NOK 96 million, with partners providing a minimum of NOK 48 million. In 2024, the NFR will request funds to finance up to eight such centres, the county council wrote.

Marie Didriksen is the Maritime and Industrial Business Development Advisor at Nordland County Municipality. She and the county’s industry advisor, Björn Larsen, believe the centre could lead to more activity in Andøya.

– It's about space junk, so there's probably something from Andøya Space as well. It's also where Nordland's leading space expertise is, although the research at the centre will be done in Narvik, Larsen tells BLV.

Didriksen says they are working on the application until the September deadline.

– We supported this, among other things, because of the connection with Andøya and Nordland, you say.

– In the county council's political programme, we have demonstrated that Andøya Space and Andøya Spaceport are important focal points for Norway and Nordland, and it is important for the county council to be a contributor and supporter of them, Larsen says in the press release.