AuroraSpace

Spring has finally caught up with us – and before we head too far into summer season, let’s rewind to our snowy but inspiring consortium meeting in mid-March, when we held our annual AuroraSpace consortium meeting in Tähtelä, Sodankylä – at the joint research centre of the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s Arctic Research Centre (FMI) and Sodankylä Geophysical (SGO) Observatory, hosted by University of Oulu.

Welcome to Tähtelä

Most of the consortium members arrived in Sodankylä already on Tuesday, March 11. On the way, Heidi Kuusniemi, Johanna Haveri, and Susanna Litmanen from the University of Vaasa, along with Eetu Leskinen from the University of Oulu, couldn’t resist stopping by the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi – after all, it’s not every day you pass through the Arctic Circle.

In the evening, the plan was simply to meet up and enjoy some pizza. The highlight of the night was a stargazing session led by Emma Bruus, astronomer and SGO coordinator, who introduced us to the constellations above and their ties to Greek mythology.

Presentations and a Walk in the Observatory Area

On Wednesday, we gathered in the Polaria building, where Timo Ryyppö (Head of Group, FMI) and Jyrki Manninen (Vice Director, SGO) welcomed us warmly and gave insightful presentations about their activities.

We also took a guided walk through the observatory grounds, where we saw satellite dishes, a weather balloon launch, the LappiSat satellite and space tech laboratory, and the EISCAT Sodankylä receiver antenna (32 meters in diameter), which now lives only in memory, as it was demolished on April 23, 2025.

Ideas in Motion

The day continued with a hybrid meeting, combining in-person and remote participation, to reflect on the progress of the project and discuss future plans. Here are a few of the ideas and directions that emerged from our AuroraSpace workshop:

• ✨ Improving visibility and access to career opportunities
  • There was discussion about ways to better highlight internships and career paths across the AuroraSpace network and website.
    
• ✨ Exploring mobility and research exchange
  • We explored how to support short-term research visits, student exchanges, and collaboration across institutions, including potential use of existing funding schemes like Erasmus+ or Nordplus.
    
• ✨ Raising awareness about space-related research
  • Ideas were shared around making Nordic space research more accessible to a broader audience — for example, through lists of publications and research organization heat map.
    
• ✨ Looking ahead to events and partnerships
  • Several partners are considering participation in upcoming events and working on ways to strengthen connections between research, startups, and industry.

These conversations highlighted the wide range of possibilities within the AuroraSpace network and how much potential there is in continued collaboration across the Nordics.

Evening Activities and Northern Atmosphere

In the evening, we enjoyed a traditional Lappish dinner in a kota: sautéed reindeer, mashed potatoes, and cloudberry panna cotta. Some opted to unwind in the hot tub, bravest participants even took a dip in the icy water of the Kitinen river! We were also lucky enough to witness the stunning northern lights dancing across the sky.

Looking Ahead Together

On the final day, the meeting continued with discussions on our next steps and how we plan to move forward. The in-person conversations were especially valuable for deepening collaboration and planning ahead.

A big thank you to Timo Ryyppö (FMI) and Emma Bruus (SGO) for hosting and organizing the program! The meeting in Tähtelä was a truly valuable experience – a great foundation for the journey ahead.