Stockholm: A Swedish research rocket veered off its planned course and instead landed in Norway, local media reported.
The nine-metre-long rocket was launched from Esrange Space Centre, approximately 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, reports Xinhua news agency.
In a report on Tuesday, Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reported that after reaching an altitude of 250 km, where zero-gravity experiments were carried out, it landed 40 km northwest of the planned landing site.
Esrange Space Center launched an investigation into the incident and initiated work to retrieve the payload from the landing site approximately 15 km across the border into Norway, DN reported.
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), which owns and runs the centre, has apologised for the incident.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson told Norway’s Folkebladet newspaper: “We have received no notification about the incident from Esrange or the Swedish authorities, but we have registered that Esrange has sent out a press release that a rocket has landed in Norway.
“In general, we take a serious view of unauthorised activity on the Norwegian side of the border and it is crucial that involved parties immediately notify the relevant Norwegian authorities.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Norway’s Foreign Ministry said that it was not properly informed about either the rocket’s landing or the recovery of its payload, and that it takes any unauthorised activity within its borders seriously.
“When such a border violation occurs, it is crucial that those responsible immediately inform the relevant Norwegian authorities through the proper channels,” it said.
–IANS