(Oslo) Norway on Tuesday expressed rare irritation with neighboring Sweden for failing to immediately warn it of the accidental fall of a rocket on its territory, which caused no casualties or damage.
The craft was launched Monday from Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, northern Sweden. It crashed on a mountain near the town of Malselv, in the far north of Norway, about ten kilometers from homes.
“A rocket crash like this is a very serious incident that can cause significant damage,” Norway’s foreign ministry said. “When such a border violation occurs, it is crucial that those responsible immediately inform the relevant Norwegian authorities through the appropriate channels,” he added.
The rocket was to allow experiments to be carried out in weightlessness at an altitude of 250 kilometers.
“The rocket took a slightly longer and more westerly trajectory than expected and touched down after a 15-kilometer flight in Norway,” the Swedish Space Corporation said in a statement Monday.
“Recovery work” of the device “is in progress”, he added.
These are not supposed to start without a Norwegian authorization which has not been granted, retorted the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Norwegian civil aviation authority said it learned of the accident from the Swedish Space Corporation press release published on Monday.