Rocket crash causes 'rare' friction between Norway, Sweden
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The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Sweden should have informed Norway of such activities since the experimental rocket could have caused a tragedy on its territories.
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A microgravity research rocket launched from Esrange Space Center on Monday, April 24, 2023 (Swedish Space Corporation)
In a rare incident between the two neighbors, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry voiced irritation with Sweden on Tuesday for not promptly informing Oslo of a research rocket that fell in Norway.
The rocket crashed on a mountaintop in the Malselv municipality located in far-northern Norway, some 10 kilometers from the nearest inhabited area, and there were no recorded injuries or property losses.
The rocket took off early on Monday from the Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, located in northern Sweden.
"The crash of a rocket like this is a very serious incident that can cause serious damage," the Foreign Ministry in Oslo said, adding that "when such a border violation occurs, it is crucial that those responsible immediately inform the relevant Norwegian authorities through the proper channels."
Earlier on Monday, the Swedish Space Corporation had reported that the rocket was to carry out experiments in zero gravity at an altitude of 250 kilometers but "took a slightly longer and more westerly trajectory than calculated and landed after a completed flight 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) into Norwa. The Corporation highlighted that "work on retrieving the payload is underway."
However, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry stressed that until proper authorization is obtained, there would not be any retrieval work.
As for the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway, it noted that it had only heard about the incident via the news statement issued on Monday by the Swedish Space Corporation.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
