Rocket and Balloon Activities

Quick updates on current and past rocket and balloon missions at Esrange Space Center.

Rocket and balloon missions

Launch missions from Esrange Space Center are listed here

Mission	type	launch period	launched
SYSTER/COUSIN	Sounding rocket	2 November - 23 November 2026	-
BEXUS 38	Stratospheric balloon	9 October - 19 October 2026	-
BEXUS 39	Stratospheric balloon	9 October - 19 October 2026	-
MAPHEUS 17	Sounding rocket	1 October - 8 October 2026	1 October 2026
KEYSTONE	Stratospheric balloon	17 August - 31 August 2026	26 August 2026

60
Years of experience

610+
Rockets launched

700+
Balloons launched

More about some of our launches

MAPHEUS®-17 launch advances microgravity research and technology

15:10 October 2, 2026

On October 1, DLR’s MAPHEUS®-17 sounding rocket successfully launched from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, carrying research and technology experiments to an altitude of 291 kilometers before safely returning to Earth....

A balloon with hanging payload rising to the sky.

ESA balloon mission to provide new insights into Earth’s atmosphere

14:09 September 4, 2026

SSC Space has now passed 700 balloon launches from Esrange On August 26, at 20:34 local time, the Keystone TV BALLET (Terahertz/Visible BALLoon ExperimenT) balloon was launched from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The balloon had a volume of...