Space Power in the High North : Norway’s Arctic Space Strategy (Unscripted)

Abstract

This book chronicles Norway’s evolution as an emerging space power with growing military and civil space capabilities. It offers a compelling and unique narrative at a time when space is becoming an increasingly vital domain for international and national security, intelligence, military operations and civil society—and a rapidly expanding industrial sector. Norway’s involvement in space became strategically significant during the Cold War through integration with U.S. space networks. Norway has since built key infrastructure for space research and surveillance, and is developing end-to-end capabilities as a modern spacefaring nation, including the first operational space port on the European continent at Andøya in Northern Norway.

Space Power in the High North: Norway’s Arctic Space Strategy (Unscripted) traces Norway’s journey through four key phases. The first covers the foundational period, from 19th-century scientific research to Cold War-era satellite surveillance and a growing awareness of military space into the 2000s. The second and third examine Norway’s consolidation as a space actor, focusing on how military priorities were integrated into national space policy and how institutional frameworks for space governance emerged. The final section assesses Norway’s status and future trajectory in military space, with a steady focus on strategic interests and challenges in the High North. By charting this evolution, the book highlights how even a small state can develop space power.