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Arctic² is where the evolving space ecosystem meets in the High North.
For three days at Europe’s first operational spaceport, leaders from government, defense, and industry will explore how space serves both civilian and security needs in a rapidly changing world.
The program includes keynotes from Christian Hauglie-Hansen, Director General of the Norwegian Space Agency, Maj. Gen. Robert W. Claude of the U.S. Space Force, and ESA Directors Laurent Jaffart and Toni Tolker-Nielsen, alongside perspectives from Isar Aerospace, Andøya Space, Northrop Grumman, Space Norway, EIDEL, Rheinmetall, and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Just as important as the speakers on stage are the people you meet – and you!
Get an overview of our speakers here.
Location: Fyrvika
Location: Fyrvika
*Please note: Program is subject to adjustments and changes.
Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Director General, Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA)
Christian Hauglie-Hanssen is the Director General of NOSA, the Norwegian Space Agency, a position he has held since June 2018. NOSA is an agency under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Mr. Hauglie-Hanssen serves as Head of Delegation to ESA. Mr. Hauglie-Hanssen has more than 30 years of industrial experience, hereunder executive management and business development positions in various defence and aerospace programmes, civilian businesses, and space. He previously also held the presidency of NIFRO, the advocacy group for the Norwegian space industry. Mr. Hauglie-Hanssen holds a BSc degree in physics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a Master of Science degree in physics from the University of South Florida.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Director ESA & Head of ECSAT
Laurent Jaffart is the European Space Agency’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications and Head of ECSAT in Harwell, United Kingdom, since 15 May 2024. In this role, Mr Jaffart leads the ESA satellite telecommunication programme, including the implementation of the full portfolio of the ARTES 4.0 programme activities, Moonlight, Civil Security from Space, and the ESA contributions to the EU Secure Connectivity Programme, IRIS2, in collaboration with the European Commission. From France, Mr Jaffart has over 20 years of experience in the European space sector, most notably in senior leadership roles at Airbus Defence and Space.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Mobilization Assistant to Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force
Maj. Gen. Robert W. Claude serves as the Mobilization Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations at the Headquarters, United States Space Force, Pentagon. In this role, he supports the CSO in organizing, training, and equipping space forces; developing and acquiring space capabilities; and conducting space operations to advance and protect U.S. and allied interests. He also serves as the USSF lead for Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) and the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). As the senior Reserve officer on the staff, Maj. Gen. Claude is the CSO’s principal advisor on planning, coordination, and employment of Reserve forces. Maj. Gen. Claude received his commission through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1991. He is a career Space and Cyber officer with over 33 years of service. Throughout his career, Maj. Gen. Claude has commanded one squadron, served as a wing vice commander, and held multiple staff positions at the unit, major command, service headquarters, and combatant command levels. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, United States Space Command, Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Chief Commercial Officer, Isar Aerospace
As the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Isar Aerospace, Stella Guillen is responsible for all Strategy, Business Development, Sales, and Marketing activities. Stella’s background spans the satellite industry, from telecommunications to launch services. From 2010 to 2016, Stella built up and oversaw sales efforts and client relationships for SpaceX. She joined the company at an early stage of the Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy program, signing SpaceX’s first European customers such as SES, Inmarsat, Eutelsat, Hispasat, and others, winning more than $1B in sales. Stella worked in different Business Development and Sales positions: for Arianespace, Inc. and Spaceflight Industries, she managed all aspects of the launch services sales and marketing activities for customers and some of the largest satellite fleet operators such as SES, Intelsat, and satellite service providers such as Spacenet and Verestar, she opened new markets worldwide extending their customer base and raising company valuation. She holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
CEO, Andøya Space
Ketil Olsen is the CEO of Andøya Space, Norway’s leading aerospace center and home to Europe’s first orbital spaceport. Andøya Space provides infrastructure for scientific research, defense-related activities, and satellite launches, continuing a legacy of launching scientific rockets since 1962. A retired Vice admiral, Olsen brings extensive leadership experience from the Norwegian Armed Forces and NATO. He commanded military units from the tactical to the strategic level. He has held senior roles including Deputy Director of the Norwegian Navy’s training establishment, Deputy Commander of the Norwegian Home Guard, and Director of Defence Policy and Long-Term Development at the Ministry of Defence. He also led NATO’s strategic capability development team, shaping priorities 15 years ahead. His final military post was as Norway’s Military Representative to NATO’s Military Committee, where he represented Norway and the Chief of Defence at the highest strategic level. Olsen is recognized for his ability to drive transformation, implement sustainable change, and align strategic goals with operational execution.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
President, Andøya Spaceport
Troels Sandreid assumed the role of President of Andøya Spaceport on June 1, 2025. He joins from his position as Airport Director at Bodø Airport and has previously served as Deputy CEO of Widerøe Technical Services. With a strong background in aviation, Sandreid will lead the continued development of Norway’s spaceport, Europe’s first operational launch site for small satellites.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Partner – Space Practice Global Lead, PwC
Luigi is a Partner in PwC Advisory France. Within PwC he leads the Space Practice worldwide, and core space strategy team based in Paris and Toulouse, focused on serving institutional and commercial stakeholders in the space sector, as well as non-space companies with specific commercial interest in space products and applications. He has 25 years of experience in the space sector and he has extensively supported the Space Industry, Space Agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and governments in Europe and Worldwide. He is a member of the International Astronautical Federation Technical Committee (chair of the IAF Space Economy Committee), and a regular keynote and panel speaker at space-related events worldwide.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Director Space Transportation, ESA
A Danish national and mechanical engineer, Toni Tolker-Nielsen began his career with APV ANHYDRO in Copenhagen in 1983 before taking a role at CERN in Geneva. He joined ESA in 1987 – initially working on pointing and tracking systems for laser communication systems – and in 2003 moved to what was then known as the Launchers Directorate, with responsibility for the return-to-flight programme for Ariane 5 ECA (Evolution Cryotechnique type A) after its launch failure in December 2002. Mr Tolker-Nielsen went on to oversee significant changes to the organisation of the European launcher industry initiated in the wake of the ECA failure – changes which helped deliver the very successful Ariane 5 programme which ended in July 2023. He was then appointed ESA Inspector General – an Executive Board position with the duty to guarantee technical and managerial excellence across ESA. Mr Tolker-Nielsen later headed Earth Observation projects and acted as Director of Earth Observation Programmes from 2021, when Josef Aschbacher took up duty as ESA Director General.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Director Strategy and Business Development, Space Norway
Major General (ret.) Odd-Harald Hagen served in the Norwegian Armed Forces from 1985 until September 2024, concluding his career as Defence Attaché at Norway’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., with responsibility for the United States and Canada. During his time in the Armed Forces, he led the Department of Defence Policy and Long-Term Planning in the Ministry of Defence, held key NATO roles including head of the NATO Army Armaments Group, and served in command and staff positions nationally and internationally as well as on international operations with KFOR, ISAF, and NTM-Iraq. Hagen holds a B.Sc in Military Engineering, a M.Sc in Business and Administration and an M.Sc. in International Security and Strategy from King’s College London. He has completed staff college in Sweden, the senior command course at the Norwegian Defence University College and the post graduate course on international security at the Royal College of Defense Studies in London, UK. Major General (ret.) Hagen started in Space Norway in November 2024 and assumes the position as Director Strategy and Business Development in Space Norway on 1 August 2025.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
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Director, NOSA
Ole Morten Olsen is Director Business Development and Innovation at Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA). He is an experienced leader skilled in Technology Management, Space Industry, Remote Sensing and Synthetic Aperture Radar. Strong information technology professional. Dr Scient degree in Signal Processing/Plasma Physics from University of Tromsø (UiT).
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Director, Innovation Norway
Monica Ahyee is the Regional Director of Innovation Norway in Nordland, where she works to strengthen growth opportunities and drive innovation across the region. With a strong focus on collaboration with key stakeholders and businesses, she aims to position Nordland as an attractive and dynamic hub for business development and settlement. Originally from Bodø, Ahyee holds a degree in business administration from Nord University. She brings extensive international experience from 19 years in leadership roles at Westpac Banking Corporation, Australia’s second-largest banking group, and later as Director at Bodø Kommunale Eiendommer KF, where she achieved significant results in a short time.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Vice President, Northrop Grumman
Troy Brashear is vice president of Satellite Missions (SM), within Northrop Grumman’s Tactical Space Systems division. The SM business unit provides responsive and scalable solutions across scientific, weather and national space security missions for the United States and our allies. Previously, Brashear was vice president of the Combat Sensors business unit within the Airborne Multifunction Sensors division of the Northrop Grumman Mission Systems sector. In this role, he had executive responsibility for the development, production, and delivery of critical combat avionics systems across several international fighter and bomber programs. Prior to that, he was vice president of the Integrated National Systems business unit in Northrop Grumman Space Systems, where he led innovative air and space command and control and mission management systems for the Department of Defense and intelligence communities. Brashear joined Northrop Grumman in 2016, following his retirement as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, where he created and served as the first director of Air Force Space Command’s Advanced Systems and Development Directorate responsible for Science and Technology, developmental planning, demonstrations and prototypes. Brashear earned a bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy, and holds master’s degrees from the University of Southern California, George Washington University, Air University and National Defense University.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
CEO, EIDEL
Truls Orderløkken Andersen is CEO of Eidsvoll Electronics AS (EIDEL). Truls has his background from the defense and defense industry and worked with business development and management. In recent years, he has led EIDEL to become an exciting player in the Norwegian space industry, which has also resulted in attention abroad. In 2021, EIDEL was identified by the Aerospace and Defense Review as one of the top 10 European satellite technology companies. Truls has his education from the Army Technical College and a BSC in economics and administration.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
VP, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Arne Gjennestad is Vice President for Business Development and Marketing & Sales at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, where he focuses on Space & Surveillance. With over 16 years of experience in the Norwegian Army and Air Force, he held various leadership roles, including Battery Task Force Commander. Since joining Kongsberg in 2007, Arne has led successful campaigns for defense contracts in Norway and internationally, notably in Oman and the U.S. He holds degrees from the Norwegian Air Force Academy, Norwegian Staff College, and the U.S. Army Air Defence Officers Advanced Course.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Head of Space, Rheinmetall
Nadja holds a PhD in aerospace engineering and geodesy from the Technical University of Munich, with research conducted at the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Space Research in collaboration with NASA. Her work focused on low Earth orbit spacecraft attitude and orbit control systems (AOCS) and sensor data fusion. After completing her doctorate in 2014, Nadja applied her expertise in the automotive sector, working on autonomous driving technologies with a strong focus on sensor systems and data fusion, primarily within the Audi ecosystem. She later transitioned into business consulting, including roles at The Boston Consulting Group, where she specialized in digital solutions for mobility across aerospace, automotive, and naval domains. In January 2025, Nadja assumed the role of Head of Space at Rheinmetall, driving strategic initiatives and innovation in the space domain.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Branch Chief, U.S. Space Force
Merrick Garb is the first Branch Chief for Commercial, Civil, and Interagency Partnerships in the Global Partnerships Directorate, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Strategy, Plans, Requirements, and Analysis, Headquarters U.S. Space Force. He leads a team to facilitate innovative partnering initiatives with the commercial Space Industry to meet Space Force requirements, and supports the Service Branch’s partnerships with NASA, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. Merrick also serves on the Defense Innovation Unit’s State of the Space Industrial Base Working Group, and contributes to the implementation of the Space Force’s first Commercial Strategy.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Sales Director, Isar Aerospace
As Sales Director at Isar Aerospace, Josef Wiedemann is responsible for Commercial Business Development, Sales, and Governmental Relations with focus on Germany and Europe. Josef has a strong background in European space transportation, both in the public and private sector. From 2020 to 2024, Josef oversaw institutional business development at MT Aerospace and supported strategic positioning in institutional and commercial markets. This included sales efforts and client relationships, leading to tens of millions of development contract awards and new business every year. Before joining the private sector, Josef has been involved in the definition, contractualization, and implementation of large space transportation programmes, such as Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution, Ariane 6, and related technology projects. His functions included both technical as well as managerial roles, acting as System Engineer, System & Stage Test Expert, Project Engineer and Project Manager at DLR and ESA from 2013 onwards. He holds a Diploma Degree (equiv. to M.Sc.) from Technical University Munich in Aerospace Engineering.
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Founder & Executive Director, Spaceport Norway
Ole Dokka is a multidisciplinary leader and strategist, working at the intersection of innovation, design, technology, and digital business. With leadership experience in major Norwegian companies like Telenor and Equinor, he has successfully developed award-winning digital and media strategies, brand identities, and global marketing programs. In 2016, Ole founded Rocket Grace, with a vision to explore new business and innovation opportunities enabled by the global space industry. He also established Spaceport Norway, which has grown to become the largest space business arena in the Nordics. Spaceport Norway brings together key players from diverse industries to collaborate on space-related innovations and sustainable solutions, and remains a core activity for Rocket Grace. Ole is based in Stavanger, Norway, where he lives with his wife and three teenagers. (and one cat)
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Spaceport Norway: Andøya Satellite Summit 2025
Mayor, Nordland County
Eivind Holst is a member of Conservative Party of Norway, and the mayor of Nordland County. He has a Master of Science in Business and Administration from Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and has spent many years as a C-level executive and as member/chair of the board in several businesses in Norway. Before becoming the Mayor of Nordland county he has been the mayor of Vågan municipality, and he has served as the chair of the Nordland branch of the Conservative party of Norway since 2021. He was born in Lofoten in 1970, and grew up in Bodø.
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