Five from Finland
Space technology
Thanks to its world-class research capabilities, technology expertise and accommodating business climate, Finland has the ability to significantly accelerate space business in the coming years.
Julia HelminenWith the space industry on the rise, more and more Finnish enterprises and research organisations are seeking new business opportunities for producing and applying space solutions that benefit the planet and humanity.
The first Finnish-built satellite, Aalto University’s two-kilogram Aalto-2, was launched into space four years ago, drawing significant public attention to Finland as a space nation. In fact, Finnish technology had made its way into outer space long before that – used in numerous space scanners and satellites, deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) and even landed on Mars.
Thanks to its world-class research capabilities, technology expertise and accommodating business climate, Finland has all it takes to significantly accelerate the space business in the coming years. Moreover, Finland aims to become the world’s most attractive and agile space business environment by 2025, as outlined in the national space strategy.
Here are five Finnish space-related solutions that have made headlines in recent times.
ICEYE empowers governmental and commercial operators with timely and reliable radar satellite imagery.
ICEYEThis dynamic spacetech startup is disrupting traditional Earth imaging with its synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) microsatellites, the first of which, ICEYE-X1, was launched into space in early 2018.
The SAR technology is superior to its optical alternatives in that it is capable of delivering reliable imaging data at any time and in any weather, also during darkness and overcast conditions. Further advantages come via the high frequency and timeliness of the imaging, making it a fitting solution for object detection, target tracking, activity monitoring and more.
In September 2020, ICEYE raised 87 million US dollars (approx. 74 million euros) to continue and speed up the growth of its satellite constellation. The company reached the milestone of 10 satellite missions launched in January 2021, with an additional 10 new satellite missions planned for the rest of the year. ICEYE also announced 50 million US dollars in signed contracts in 2020 for radar satellite imaging services, solutions and satellite missions, signalling a tenfold growth on the previous year.
“ICEYE is enabling others to solve immeasurably difficult problems that affect the lives of millions of people around the world,” said CEO and co-founder Rafal Modrzewski. “Our team has built a reputation of delivering results to our customers with unmatched timelines and quality of service. We are proud of that reputation, and we intend to maintain it.”
Leveraging its successful history in space technologies, Nokia is setting up the first lunar cellular network.
AdobeThe reputed Finnish networks giant, with rich experience in space and satellite technologies, has been selected by NASA to build and deploy the first ever cellular communications network on the Moon by the end of 2022. The network is considered a crucial component of the ambitious plan to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon as a “warm-up” for future missions to Mars.
Designed by the company’s Nokia Bell Labs division, the ultra-compact, low-power and space-hardened end-to-end LTE solution will be delivered to the lunar surface by US-based aerospace engineering firm Intuitive Machines and will provide critical communications capabilities for astronauts, allowing for activities such as remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and high-definition streaming.
“By building the first high-performance wireless network solution on the Moon, Nokia Bell Labs is once again planting the flag for pioneering innovation beyond the conventional limits,” stated Marcus Weldon, former chief technology officer at Nokia and president at Nokia Bell Labs.
Technology and equipment developed by Vaisala and FMI have been helping to study Mars for many years.
NASANo strangers to space endeavours, Vaisala and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) have a long history of working together in NASA’s space exploration programmes. In 2020, FMI’s pressure and humidity measurement devices based on Vaisala’s world-known sensor technology ventured out of the Earth’s orbit onboard NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
Once the rover landed on Mars in February 2021, the instrumentation started to obtain accurate and reliable pressure and humidity data from the planet’s surface. Meanwhile, the rover formed a small-scale observation network with its predecessor, Curiosity, which was equipped with similar solutions from Vaisala and FMI in 2012.
“We are honoured that Vaisala’s core sensor technologies have been selected to provide accurate and reliable measurement data on Mars,” commented Liisa Åström, vice president of products and systems at Vaisala. “Hopefully, the measurement technology will provide tools for finding answers to the most pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change.”
According to Maria Genzer, head of the planetary research and space technology group at FMI, “Mars is a particularly important area of atmospheric investigations due to its similarities to the Earth”. Thus, studying Mars provides experts with a better understanding of the behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Among VTT’s many innovations is an AR learning and operations tool for ESA that provides astronauts the advantages of human-machine collaboration.
PixabayCarried out for decades, VTT’s space technology research has created numerous helpful solutions used by industries ranging from defence, public safety, maritime and traffic to agriculture. VTT is particularly proud of its state-of-the-art remote sensing technology, one of the most exciting examples of which is VISION, a tiny spectral imager for gas measurements in the atmosphere.
In September 2020, VISION was launched into space on PICASSO, a 3.5-kilogram university-class satellite built for the European Space Agency (ESA) by the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy. The imager will be used to take various scientific measurements in the upper layers of the atmosphere, including solar occultation, nightglow and ozone distribution measurements.
“Integrating atmospheric measurement instruments into a satellite the size of a carton of milk is challenging – but the scientific opportunities are massive,” stated Antti Näsilä, research team leader at VTT. “In future, instruments like VISION can also be used to measure other gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane.”
In early 2020, VTT also delivered an augmented reality (AR) learning and operations tool for ESA to provide astronauts the advantages of human-machine collaboration. According to principal scientist Kaj Helin, the tool “reduces the risk of human error and significantly speeds up the work performance”.
Varjo’s human-eye resolution VR adds a new dimension to spaceflight preparations.
VarjoWith its virtual reality (VR) headsets capable of visualising images at a human-eye resolution, Varjo is continuously pushing VR boundaries and helping professionals in the most demanding industries. In June 2020, Boeing chose Varjo’s unmatched technology to immerse astronauts in spaceflights without leaving the Earth.
Astronauts from Boeing Starliner, a programme to develop a spacecraft for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS, are now using Varjo’s headsets to safely train for all aspects of their mission – from pre-launch to docking to landing, as well as emergency scenarios.
“We are proud to be delivering the technology that is pushing industrial training applications to their furthest reaches – even to space,” commented Niko Eiden, co-founder at Varjo. “With our devices, astronauts can see and virtually interact with the switches and control panels inside their Starliner capsule and read the real-time data on their crew displays. Advancements like this have the potential to transform the way any pilot is trained.”
Article was originally published in April 2021.