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Headline, NATO Space Leader Overseas Successful Space Launch in Norway Marks Milestone for Space Priorities.

ESA Aerospace, a German-based company, successfully placed satellites into orbit from Norway's Andoya spaceport on September 5, marking a milestone for Europe's commercial space sector and NATO's space priorities.

For NATO's space theater component, the achievement demonstrates the growing strength of Europe's civilian and commercial space sector, an important part of the wider ecosystem on which NATO and its allies depend.

Mission Onward and Upward, the second flight of ESA Aerospace's Spectrum launch vehicle, lifted off from the company's dedicated launch complex at Andoya Spaceport in Norway at 10.12pm Central European Summer Time, 2012 Greenwich Mean Time.

The vehicle crossed the Karman line, completed main engine cut-off and stage separation, ignited its second stage and deployed its payloads after reaching orbit.

ESA Aerospace's flight made it the first European commercial space company to successfully deliver satellites into orbit.

The flight represents a major step in expanding European launch capacity and establishes an additional pathway to orbit from the European continent.

The mission was a civilian commercial launch, not a NATO operation, but NATO does not seek to become an autonomous space actor or develop its own space capabilities.

Instead, the Alliance relies on capabilities, data, products and services provided by Allies and supported by a resilient civilian and private sector.

Diverse and reliable pathways to orbit, such as the successful launch by ESA Aerospace, can strengthen mission assurance by increasing the resilience of the wider space architecture on which NATO and its Allies depend.

It also highlights the growing community of military space professionals across the alliance and the partnerships NATO seeks to strengthen with allied national military space organizations.

Norwegian Lieutenant Colonel Jorgen Tovsrud, a member of NATO's space theater component, served as a director of launch operations for the mission at the spaceport, applying his space expertise in support of a national capability while continuing to serve NATO's mission at Ramstein.

Norwegian Lieutenant Colonel Jorgen Tovsrud said, after personally overseeing the successful launch this past weekend, this launch is significant because NATO's resilience in space is closely connected to the strength of the wider space ecosystem.

A healthy civilian and commercial sector drives innovation, expands access and strengthens the services on which modern societies and military operations increasingly depend.

Space supports communications, navigation, tracking, detection and situational awareness, while helping NATO anticipate threats and respond to crises with greater speed, effectiveness and precision.

NATO recognised space as an operational domain in 2019 and continues to integrate it into the Alliance's broader deterrence and defence posture.

NATO's doctrine on space identifies resilience, innovation and adaptation to emerging technologies as important elements in maintaining operational advantage and supporting alliance missions and activities.

Access to cutting-edge space capabilities helps enable NATO's joint force across domains as the alliance works to deter aggression and defend the Euro-Atlantic area.

US Colonel Jonathan L. Whittaker, Chief of Staff at NATO Space Theatre Component and Director of the NATO Space Operations Centre, said, Norway has been a great partner with the NATO Space Theatre Component.

We are glad to call several Norwegian space officers and non-commissioned officers our teammates here at Ramstein.

Jorgen brings a deep skill set and leadership to the NATO Space Operations Centre, and we could not be prouder to lend him back to his nation to ensure that this launch at Andoya was a success.

The success of NATO space depends on the success of national space programmes.

The successful qualification flight also highlights the role of investment, innovation and industrial capacity in strengthening Europe's access to space.

Expanding that industrial capacity, including through a broader base of launch providers, strengthens the resilience and reliability of the space ecosystem supporting allied requirements.

For NATO's space theatre component, advances across the civilian and commercial sector contribute to a more resilient space environment, supporting Allied access to space-enabled services and strengthening NATO's ability to integrate space effects into multi-domain operations in support of deterrence and collective defence.