Editing Esrange (section)

==History==
In the 1960s, Esrange was established as an [[European Space Research Organisation|ESRO]] sounding rocket launching range located in [[Kiruna]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Backman|first1=Fredrick|title=Making Place for Space: a History of 'Space Town' Kiruna 1943-2000|date=2015|publisher=Umeå University|location=Umeå, Sweden|isbn=978-91-7601-244-4|url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-101725}}</ref> This location was chosen because it was generally agreed that it was important to carry out a sounding rocket programme in the [[Aurora#Occurrence|auroral zone]], and for this reason it was essential that ESRO equip itself with a suitable range in the northern latitudes. Access to Kiruna was good by air, road and rail, and the launching range was relatively close to the town of Kiruna. Finally and perhaps decisively, Esrange could be located near Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (subsequently renamed to [[Swedish Institute of Space Physics]]). In 1972 ownership and operations of the range was transferred to the [[Swedish Space Corporation]].