The Swedish Air Force (Svenska flygvapnet) is investigating a new use for its Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets: launching nanosatellites into low Earth orbit.
Colonel Ella Carlsson, who heads the Swedish Air Force’s space division, discussed the project at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom. Known as Project Stella, this effort has been delegated to the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm.
Carlsson told Aviation Week that the concept came from a former Ukrainian Space Agency official who suggested that aircraft-based satellite launches could have been advantageous before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Preliminary findings from KTH show that a rocket air-launched from a fighter jet can deploy nanosatellites weighing around 2 kilograms (4 pounds) into low orbit. However, further research is required to determine whether the Gripen can do this safely.
Using fighter jets for satellite launches is not a new concept. In 2011, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Boeing a $104 million contract to develop this capability. The plan, which involved using an F-15E Strike Eagle, was canceled in 2015. France and Italy have also explored similar ideas using the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, respectively.