Sunday’s scheduled launch of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics’ (IRF’s) BROR scientific experiment from the Esrange space base outside Kiruna was canceled just before the sounding rocket was due to take off due to wind conditions. New attempt on Monday, March 13.

Auroral scientist at IRF in Kiruna gets help from SSC Esrange in launching a sounding rocket from the Esrange space base and the campaign runs between March 12-22, 2023. The experiment will create unusual and beautiful light phenomena.

With the help of the collected data, IRF space scientists will be able to study conditions in near-Earth space, the ionosphere. The data contributes to a piece of the aurora research puzzle that could enable better space weather forecasts. Space weather is about how the sun’s activity and its solar wind of charged particles affect society’s critical infrastructure on Earth and on satellites.

“To succeed with the research experiment, IRF uses technology similar to fireworks that the probe will activate when it is at an altitude of over 100 kilometers,” says IRF researcher Tima Sergienko, Principal Investigator of the experiment.

Follow the launch live: https://www.youtube.com/user/SwedishSpace
Follow the countdown: Twitter @IRF_Space and Facebook @irfspace

The launch takes place sometime between 18.30-19.30.

Contact:
Annelie Klint Nilsson
Information Officer
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
annelie.klint-nilsson@irf.se
+46 980-790 76

Similar scientific experiments for aurora studies have been done by NASA from the Norwegian space base on Andøya. Northern lights cameras in Abisko captured the colorful clouds.
Photo: For any usage of the picture online – a link to https://lightsoverlapland.com/ is required as image cred.