2026 Mid-year Update: The Nature of the National Conversation has Changed

As recently as late 2025, many Swedish government departments and agencies were continuing to perpetuate the claim that “Sweden is a leading space nation”. But lately, more and more people – including Vinnova and Tillväxtverket – have begun pushing back on such statements and are reaching the same conclusion: systemic barriers are preventing Sweden’s entry into the NewSpace era – and a significantly different approach is needed.

As per a recent editorial article in Dagens Industri: “If you want to enable the development of genuine NewSpace companies, with revolutionary new capabilities, it’s necessary to accept that it must happen completely separately from the existing system. […] The U.S. left the old ecosystem alone and instead created a completely new, competing ecosystem alongside it.”

6 Months Into the Initiative: What Have We Accomplished, and What’s Next?

The first 6 months of Space West’s existence (Jul-Dec 2025) were all about laying the groundwork – proving what’s possible when the right people, with the right mindset, align. We’ve only just gotten started, but the momentum is already tangible. Let’s make 2026 the year when Sweden finally decides to become a real space nation.