Rockets and Reindeer - the history of the Swedish innovation system for space and its spatial dimensions

Given the strength of the Swedish air force and the role of state procurement in industrial expansion, so called development pairs, the size and direction of the non-military but relatively large Swedish space activity raises questions. The purpose of this article is to investigate the historic reasons for Swedish space activities, i.e. research and technology development, with focus on the early period. The relative weight of different policy areas has changed considerably over time. In our analysis the space sector in Sweden has adapted to a multilevel, multi-policy situation and has been instrumental in shaping a science and technology based social innovation system with focus on the Kiruna region.