On Friday, April 17, 2026, Germany’s Rheinmetall AG announced that its subsidiary Rheinmetall Nordic AS and the Norwegian municipality of Andøya in Nordland had signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on the construction of the Rheinmetall Integrated Process Facility (RhIPF), an integrated satellite test center, at Prærien Business Park in Andenes, the municipal seat.
Photo and image: Rheinmetall AG
The planned facility is intended to serve as a satellite test center and make a significant contribution to the growing space and defense industry cluster in Andøya. The Letter of Intent sets out the parties’ shared intention to continue the land-lease, spatial-planning, and construction processes necessary for the project. Rheinmetall Nordic AS will provide the required technical specifications and documentation to support planning and permitting activities, while the municipality of Andøy has committed to streamlining the process and ensuring access to the necessary infrastructure.
The project remains subject to Rheinmetall AG’s final investment decision, with the company retaining exclusive rights to the designated area in Andøy.
Morten Kjørum, CEO of Rheinmetall Nordic AS, stated:
“We greatly appreciate the constructive collaboration with Andøy Municipality and look forward to continuing our close cooperation as we advance this project at Andøya. The municipality’s commitment and proactive support are essential to realizing this strategically important facility, and we are encouraged by the progress to date.”
Kjell Are Johansen, Mayor of Andøy Municipality, commented:
“We are very pleased that Rheinmetall has chosen Andøya for this important strategic initiative. The project represents significant industrial development, new opportunities for our community, and further strengthens Andøya’s position as a leading hub for space and defence-related activities. We look forward to continuing our excellent cooperation with Rheinmetall Nordic and supporting the next steps toward their planned space investment in Andøy.”
Both parties will now continue work on the final lease agreement, a potential development agreement, and preparations for construction, subject to approval of the necessary plans.
Earlier, on September 1, 2025, Rheinmetall Nordic AS signed a Letter of Intent with the Norwegian company Andøya Space on commercial civil and military space operations, in particular the launch of payloads such as satellites into low Earth orbit from the Andøya Space Sub-Orbital spaceport.
#Satellite #TestCentre: #Rheinmetall and the #Norwegian municipality of Andøy sign a #MoU for an integrated processing #facility https://t.co/fxYa8p0are pic.twitter.com/YRcd7GTyMc
— Rheinmetall (@RheinmetallAG) April 17, 2026
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