This book chronicles Norway’s evolution as an emerging space power with growing military and civil space capabilities. It offers a compelling and unique narrative at a time when space is becoming an increasingly vital domain for international and national security, intelligence, military operations and civil society—and a rapidly expanding industrial sector. Norway’s involvement in space became strategically significant during the Cold War through integration with U.S. space networks. Norway has since built key infrastructure for space research and surveillance, and is developing end-to-end capabilities as a modern spacefaring nation, including the first operational space port on the European continent at Andøya in Northern Norway.

Space Power in the High North: Norway’s Arctic Space Strategy (Unscripted) traces Norway’s journey through four key phases. The first covers the foundational period, from 19th-century scientific research to Cold War-era satellite surveillance and a growing awareness of military space into the 2000s. The second and third examine Norway’s consolidation as a space actor, focusing on how military priorities were integrated into national space policy and how institutional frameworks for space governance emerged. The final section assesses Norway’s status and future trajectory in military space, with a steady focus on strategic interests and challenges in the High North. By charting this evolution, the book highlights how even a small state can develop space power.

"Space Power in the High North: Norway’s Arctic Space Strategy (Unscripted) by Tale Sundlisaeter and Gjert Lage Dyndal has to be THE definitive research work on this specialized topic. Comprehensive, authoritative, and informative, this treatise provides the ultimate reference for anyone desiring to be better informed, or more importantly, use as a roadmap for the future for Norway in space. A must read for the interested citizen and professional expert alike."
– Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, 2010-2017, under President Barack Obama

"The development of global space activities and geopolitics have been mutually dependent since the 1950’s. Today, the Arctic is again strategically important, and space is a military operational domain in its own right. As an Arctic nation, Norway is smack in the middle of it all. And yes – Norway has become a true space nation with an operational spaceport, national and commercial satellite systems, and global ground station operations. Space Power in the High North is a “must read” for anyone interested in how we got here, providing a comprehensive treatise on the development of Norwegian space capabilities from the early years to the present, with pointers to the future, and contextualizes the development in terms of national security strategy, national initiatives and international cooperation."
– Richard Olsen, Director of Research – Space, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)

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Space Power in the High North