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The Facts
A research rocket launched by Sweden Space Corp (SSC) on Monday from the Esrange Space Center in the country's north malfunctioned, landing 15 km (9.32 miles) inside neighboring Norway.
The rocket reached an altitude of about 155 miles before landing in Målselv — a mountain range at an altitude of around 1K meters and 10 km from the closest settlement, the SSC said.
The Spin
Narrative A
Sweden should have informed Norway officials of its rocket’s failed launch as soon as it suspected that it would land in Norwegian territory. However, Norway didn't get formal notification of the incident until much later, and Sweden failed to contact the foreign ministry through the proper channels. Sweden’s rocket launch was a very serious border violation, and it must work to prevent an event like this from happening again.
Narrative B
This is undoubtedly a serious incident and is being treated as such by Swedish authorities, who are now investigating the cause of the projectile’s wayward trajectory. The SSC and Swedish foreign ministry have been in close contact with Norwegian officials throughout the entire episode, and the SSC has already retrieved the payload and will work to fix any errors.