Space X Falcon 9 launch, August 16, 2024. California, Vandenberg Spaceport. Freeze frame from NASA video
Published by Militarnyi, 2 February 2025
The Swedish Armed Forces have announced the launch of their first military satellite, a communications satellite called Gna-3.
Swedish television company SVT reported on this.
The satellite was launched on August 16, 2024, from a spaceport in California, USA. However, the Swedish armed forces have remained silent about the project since then and have only now informed the media about the launch.
“We have unique geopolitical conditions because we have the Esrange range and the ability to launch polar satellites, which is unique. Secondly, of course, we want to have a certain independence and freedom of action regarding communication and intelligence gathering in the long term. This expands and strengthens our capabilities,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson explains.
The first satellite
It is reported that the first Swedish military satellite will be followed by several more. The satellites will, among other things, enable the Swedish Defense Ministry to create its own secure satellite communications system.
The task of the first satellite will be to test technological solutions before launching the next, more functional satellites.
“In 2025, we will launch another satellite, and in 2027, another satellite, so that in 2030 we will be able to launch, so to speak, real satellites that will be used for operational purposes,” Johan Nyström, head of the Space Department of the Swedish Armed Forces, announced.
Not much is known about the new satellite. It is reportedly named Gna-3 in honor of the Norse goddess Gna, who was the messenger of the goddess Frigg. The satellite weighs only 4 kg and is located at an altitude of about 500 kilometers. It passes over the same locations four times a day. It is in a polar orbit that covers, among other things, Sweden and the Baltic Sea region.
In November 2024, Rheinmetall and Ukraine, with the support of the German government, signed a contract to provide satellite reconnaissance services.
This agreement will allow Ukraine to receive more data from satellites equipped with ICEYE’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
This agreement was made possible by strengthening cooperation between Rheinmetall and ICEYE, announced in September 2024.
Within this cooperation, Rheinmetall received exclusive rights to sell SAR satellites to military and government users in the German and Hungarian markets.
See: Original Article
