"We are extremely happy with NASA's decision to do its launches from Esrange," Olle Norberg told AFP.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will, starting next June, conduct launches each summer of helium-filled balloons carrying different types of telescopes that can weigh as much as three tons.

"The balloons will be used mainly for research in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics ... They will fly at an altitude of about 40 kilometersmiles), starting at Esrange, passing over Norway and the North Sea, and finally landing in Alaska," Norberg said, adding that the flight route would take about a week.

"For researchers, long-haul flights are better for collecting information," he said.

To enable the launches, the Swedish Space Corporation, which owns the Esrange base, has signed an approximately 10 million kronor (1.1-million-euro, 1.3 million-dollar) contract with Swedish construction company NCC to nearly double the size of its current launch pad to 220,000 square meters (about 722,000 square feet).

"This will mean a lot of money for us. We're going to have NASA here at Esrange every single summer. This is great news for us," Norberg said, adding that other countries have also voiced interest in using the launch pad.

"Many researchers around the world want to do the kind of research our launch facility allows," he said.

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