Andøya Space also supports the SvalRak launch facility in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard to the north.

The facility has provided operations for both ESA, NASA, JAXA and DLR missions and related scientific research.

The Norwegian scientists named the rocket "Ferdinand" after the story of the peaceful bull that did not like to fight but would rather sit in the meadow smelling the flowers.

This was during the Cold War, so the name should also indicate that Andøya Rocket Range only had peaceful intentions with its research.

President Boris Yeltsin was alerted for a possible counter strike, when the Russians understood that it was not heading towards Russia.

In January 2013, the Nammo company and the Andøya Space Center announced that they would be "developing a rocket system called North Star that will use a standardized hybrid motor, clustered in different numbers and arrangements, to build two types of sounding rockets and an orbital launcher" that would be able to deliver a 10 kg (22 lb) nanosat into polar orbit.

It is mainly satellites for Earth observation and communications that are planned to be launched from Andøya, in polar- or Sun-synchronous orbit.

Sun-synchronous orbit means that the satellite passes a given latitude to two fixed local times, one for northbound and one for southbound passage.

The attendance of today's opening by Crown Prince Haakon underlines the importance of our endeavor and puts us on the New Space map in Europe.” [10] Daniel Metzler, CEO and Co-Founder of Isar Aerospace said: “Today, Norway, the Andøya region and Isar Aerospace take a big step towards space.