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Did you know that Sweeden has a space agency and they have developed no fewer than 6 satellites? At a fraction of NASAs budget and man power, this little space agency packs a huge punch! Watch on in this second installment of Better Know a Space Agency!

Welcome to another installment of a little segment we like to call Better Know a Space Agency. This week we are looking at a little known entity called the Swedish National Space Board.

Wait Sweden has a space agency? Yes that’s right. And what do they do? Well, that ‘s a little harder to say. See the SNSB is a Swedish government agency operating under the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications. And they take care of all things relating to space for Sweden, but primarily research and development. But I thought that the ESA took care of all of that… over there… in Europe. See, that’s where things get tricky. The SNSB is like a research council for the ESA, with a major focus on what they call Earth Observation. Which covers just about everything from o-zone research to city planning.

Other main areas of current space research for the SNSB are: Astronomy, Space Physics, Atmospheric Research, Astrobiology, Human Spaceflight, and Material Sciences in Microgravity.

Part of the Swedish National Space Board is their satellite program that has been quite successfull. Between 1986 and 2001 Sweden has developed six satellites: Viking, Freja, Astrid 1, Astrid 2, Odin, and Munin. With two more in already in the works. Although they do not currently launch or operate any of their satellites, they are still heavily involved in the maintenance of and information gathering in each of their birds.

So how does all of this compare to one the biggest space agencies? Well, while NASA spends just over $17 Billion… the Swedish National Space Board spends around $100 Million. Now I know what you’re thinking… But keep in mind that while NASA has about 300 thousand people working for them, there are only 17 people who work for the SNSB. No. I did not stutter. 17 people. That’s it. I’d say they are doing just fine.

To learn more, or to continue the conversation please join us live every Friday morning at 2:00am Coordinated Universal Time, or download additional podcasts like this one, on the SpaceVidcast YouTube channel or in High Definition on iTunes.