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In 1999, two professors at Stanford proposed a standardised format for small satellites — compact, modular spacecraft weighing less than 500 kilograms — designed initially to give university students hands-on experience with space hardware. They called it the CubeSat. What followed was a revolution nobody quite anticipated.
Ten years later, in 2010, Norway launched its first microsatellite, AISSat-1, built to track maritime traffic from orbit. Today, market forecasts project 17,000 satellites in this weight class to be launched between 2026 and 2035. The economics of access to space have been transformed. What once required a national space programme and billions of dollars can now be achieved by a well-funded startup — or a university department.
At Ground Control #6 on 26 August, Frank Udnæs — Director of National Programmes at the Norwegian Space Agency, and someone who has worked in this field for the last 15 years — walks us through how we got here, where Norway fits in the global picture, and what the next decade looks like.
The market is maturing. Industrial scale, production readiness, and secure long-term demand are becoming the decisive factors — not just technical innovation. New national and regional programmes are expanding the customer base, but smaller NewSpace companies increasingly face competition from larger players with the resources to win durable contracts for dual-use services. Who succeeds in this environment, and how Norway positions itself, is exactly what this conversation is about.
Frank Udnæs is Director at the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA), where he has worked on Norway's microsatellite programmes for more than 15 years. He has been closely involved in the development of Norway's national satellite series —from AISSat-1, Norway's first microsatellite launched in 2010, through to the NorSat programme — and has a broad view of how the global smallsat market has evolved and where it is heading. NOSA operates on behalf of the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries and coordinates Norwegian space policy and industry.
Date: Wednesday 26 August 2026
Time: 17:00–20:00 (programme17:00–18:30, networking 18:30–20:00)
Venue: Mesh Nationaltheateret —rooftop terrace, Tordenskiolds gate 2, 0160 Oslo
Price: Free (registration required)
Free entrance. Limited capacity. Everyone welcome.
Register here.