For the EU, space activities are strategic activities that are carried out partly to achieve security policy objectives. In Europe, it is increasingly important to keep a sharp eye on the state of the world on an ongoing basis – and remote sensing is an important part of all solutions.

Through the activities of companies supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and, in particular, by the French, German and Italian national space agencies, the European space industry has developed into an industry in which turnover from the design and manufacture of satellites and launchers has grown rapidly.

For more than 20 years, the space activities of ESA and the EU have been guided by the joint Galileo satellite positioning programme and the Copernicus remote sensing programme.

The EU’s joint global navigation satellite system, Galileo (GNSS), was launched in 2016. One of its goals is to provide an accurate positioning system that is independent of US GPS or Russian GLONASS. Access to Galileo’s basic services is free and open to all.

Copernicus is a European Earth observation programme coordinated and managed by the EU Commission in cooperation with ESA, the member states and EU agencies. Copernicus services became operational in 2014. Global data from satellites and from terrestrial, airborne and ocean measurement systems is made available, free of charge – and can be used to provide citizens and organisations with up-to-date and high-quality information and services.

The EU Satellite Center (EUSC) supports the Union’s decision-making and action in the fields of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The main users of the services are the External Action Service, member states, national delegations, missions, the Commission, other EU agencies such as Frontex, external states, and international organisations such as the UN and the OSCE.

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) manages the public interests of the European GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) programme under the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Galileo programme, the Copernicus Earth observation programme and the EU governmental satellite communications programme (GOVSATCOM).

Finland’s space activities are based on cooperation with international organisations, as well as bilateral cooperation. ESA’s programmes form the backbone of Finnish space activities. Finland has been a full member of ESA since 1995. Finland’s space activities are affected by its membership in the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and, since the beginning of the 2000s, also by EU space activities. Finland has also engaged in bilateral cooperation with, for example, the space agencies of Canada, the United States and Russia. Finland’s space policy is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, aided by the Advisory Board for Space Affairs.

Finnish space expertise is known for its high-quality space and atmospheric research and for its expertise in electronics and software for space components. Finnish companies and research organisations have participated in the design and preparation of dozens of satellites, both in ESA’s projects and with international partners. The Finnish space sector has four main areas:

• Scientific exploration of space and Earth
• Satellite remote sensing
• Satellite positioning
• The space industry

The transformation of the space sector – the so-called space revolution or “New Space” – refers to the space activities carried out by new players in the field – typically on a commercial basis and independent of the state. Small satellites and private launch services will enable easier and cheaper access to space. There are more than 10 Finnish satellites in orbit, including university satellites (Aalto University) and commercial satellites (ICEYE and Reaktor Space Lab).

For the first time, the Government Defence Report (VN 2021/78) officially highlighted space as an essential part of the operating environment of the Finnish Defence Forces. According to the report, “the requirements for defence readiness also include the cyber, space and information environments.” The report further stated that cross-sectoral cooperation has been initiated in order to develop the whole space situational picture. It emphasized that up-to-date space situational awareness increases the protection of society and the defence system and promotes the security and sustainable use of space.

According to the report, “space defence protects our national defence functions and the rest of society against threats from space and secures the operation of space systems and services that are critical for society in all circumstances. Space situational awareness is the basis for successful space defence. The Finnish Defence Forces are developing their capability to maintain round-the-clock space situational awareness, in cooperation with other authorities and international partners.”