On June 21st, Space Inventor will launch Denmark’s 1st satellite into orbit—BIFROST is a Danish-Swedish surveillance satellite originally developed by the company Space Inventor.
Terma, Gatehouse Satcom, DTU, and Swedish Unibap Space Solutions have joined the satellite development project, which is financially supported by DALO (Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation) under the Danish Ministry of Defence and FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) under the Swedish Ministry of Defence.
After seven years of development, this smallsat will be launched into orbit on June 21st from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch is initiated by the Danish and Swedish Defence ministries as part of the Danish government’s Space Strategy for Research and Innovation 2025–2035, introduced in 2024.
The strategy highlights the Arctic as a security policy priority, where space-based technologies play a vital role in supporting the tasks of the military and emergency services. These include, for example, monitoring navigation in icy waters, search and rescue operations, and enforcing sovereignty across the Kingdom of Denmark.
The satellite represents a pioneering Danish achievement, combining state-of-the-art technologies within artificial intelligence, advanced sensor systems, inter-satellite communication, and modern satellite design. BIFROST is engineered specifically for the Danish and Swedish Defence forces and will enable space-based surveillance, target identification, and real-time event reporting in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.
The satellite’s purpose is to strengthen AI-supported situational awareness and tactical observations, improving Denmark and Sweden’s capabilities to respond quickly and share data across European and international partnerships.
Space is an increasingly strategic domain for defence policy. This satellite launch clearly demonstrates the potential of space-based technologies to contribute to both Danish and Nordic security and defence. Denmark is highly invested in the future of the space sector, and these solutions give us the ability to monitor every corner of the Kingdom.
The satellite will provide important knowledge to our armed forces. As space technologies evolve rapidly worldwide, Danish companies continue to show great innovation and ingenuity. I look forward to following this mission closely,” said Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish Minister of Defence.
Many skilled people have put in countless hours developing the BIFROST satellite, and it highlights the strength of close collaboration between the space industry, academia, and the military in both countries. With this launch, we are entering orbit on a mission to explore faster and more efficient surveillance of Greenland, the Arctic, and the North Atlantic region. The satellite is based on Space Inventor’s microsatellite platform, integrating advanced technologies for surveillance and target recognition with artificial intelligence. This creates new possibilities that neither Denmark nor Sweden have had access to before,”” said Karl Kaas, founder and CEO of Space Inventor, and initiator of the BIFROST satellite.
The launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base can be followed online. The planned launch time is June 21st at 21:19 UTC (23:19 Danish time).
About BIFROST
The BIFROST satellite is a smallsat weighing approximately 50 kilograms with a wingspan of five meters. It carries a range of sensors capable of capturing optical images and multispectral data in the infrared spectrum. With a constellation of 20 such satellites, Denmark and Sweden would be able to monitor Arctic maritime activity 24 hours a day.