Developed as a shared initiative, this facility will bolster ESA's mission to deliver precise satellite data over high latitudes while fostering opportunities for Finnish enterprises to design and evaluate environmental sensors and cutting-edge technologies.

Since joining ESA as its 14th Member State in January 1995, Finland has contributed to many core agency projects, spanning Earth observation, navigation, satellite communications, and space science. Without a dedicated national space agency, Finland counts on ESA to underpin its robust space activities.

Commercial space ventures in Finland have also flourished recently, reflected in ESA's Philab Finland innovation framework introduced in January 2025. This initiative targets the commercialization of space technology and the launch of new startup concepts, underscoring the nation's growing presence in the industry.

The meeting of ESA's Programme Board on Earth Observation (PBEO) took place in Saariselka, under the chairmanship of Finland's own Jarkko Koskinen, Deputy Director General of the National Land Survey of Finland. During the session, ESA presented its plan, via the FutureEO research and development program, to partner with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and invest in the upcoming Sodankyla supersite.

ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said, "Over the next three years we will work closely with the Finnish Meteorological Institute to turn their Arctic Space Centre into an Earth science and calibration and validation supersite.

"The centre's high-latitude position and being surrounded by boreal forest, which is representative of the wider circum-polar forest and tundra ecosystem, make it ideal to validate and calibrate data from our satellites as they orbit above. The new supersite will help improve the quality of satellite-based information and stimulate new services and applications relevant to the Arctic.

"This will not only bring benefits to ESA and our understanding of the forest-tundra environment, but will also provide opportunities for Finnish and European industry to develop and test new environmental sensors and technology in an Arctic setting."

Petteri Taalas, Director General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, added, "The new centre will significantly enhance the impact of Finland's space activities internationally and creates growth opportunities for Finnish space activities and industry while improving scientific knowledge."

Although it may seem unremarkable, calibration and validation procedures are vital for maintaining trustworthy satellite measurements. They help verify the accuracy of observational data, identify possible margins of error, and ensure that scientists can confidently use such data to analyze Earth's changing systems.

This process typically involves gathering supplementary observations on the ground, from towers, or by aircraft. ESA has already employed Sodankyla's Arctic Space Centre for such tasks multiple times over the past 15 years, supporting satellite missions like SMOS and various experimental instrument projects still in development.

According to Malcolm Davidson, Head of ESA's Earth Observation Campaigns section, "With plans to introduce capacities to calibrate and validate microwave, multispectral and hyperspectral, and greenhouse gas observations, the expansion of the centre to a supersite would enables it to take up a major role for numerous upcoming missions."

This expansion will support a wide range of future satellites, including the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring mission, Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer, Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission, Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter, the Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band, and the Earth Explorer FLEX mission.

By joining forces on this endeavor, ESA and Finland will significantly boost our understanding of sub-Arctic and Arctic habitats and fortify Europe's leading edge in space technology and environmental research.

Related Links
FutureEO at ESA
Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application