EU Inaugurates First Orbital Launch Site in Europe

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The head of the European Union's executive, Ursula von der Leyen, opened on Friday the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, which is the first orbital launch site in mainland Europe.

"It is a big moment for Europe's space industry. The first orbital launch site on European mainland," von der Leyen said in a speech in the Swedish Arctic city of Kiruna. "This spaceport offers an independent European gateway to space. It is exactly the infrastructure we need, not only to continue to innovate but also to further explore the final frontier".

The EU chief commissioner underscored the role of satellite launches in monitoring climate change and gathering military intelligence. She said Ukrainian troops were successfully using small satellites to track Russian troops.

"The Commission will make a proposal for an EU space strategy for security and defense. The aim is to improve the resilience of the European space infrastructure and strengthen our shared European capabilities," she added.

The EU has a launch center in Kourou in French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America. It also cooperated closely with Russia to launch satellites into space from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan until the European Space Agency halted joint programs last February.