Orbital space race heats up in Arctic north
The Esrange in Arctic Sweden has been the launch site for sub-orbital rockets. Photograph: Mattias Forsberg/SSC By Adrienne Murray & James Brooks, Published by The BBC, 24 February 2026 It's 04:00 on a snow-covered hill in Swedish Lapland, 120 miles (200km) north of the Arctic Circle. A countdown echoes from











