Finland will establish a military space operations center to strengthen its defense and cooperation with NATO

Finland will establish a military space operations center on January 1, 2027, at the Finnish Air Force headquarters in Tikkakoski, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen announced on Friday. The new structure will oversee the defense forces’ space activities, amid a context in which space is becoming an increasingly important operational domain for military security.

The center will be responsible for developing, planning, and operating Finland’s space capabilities. It will also coordinate cooperation in this field with NATO and partner states.

Initially, the structure will have approximately 20 military and civilian employees. The Ministry of Defense estimates that this number will increase in the coming years as the army’s space activities expand.

Hakkanen said that the initiative is part of Finland’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities. The country’s military space system relies, among other things, on three synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites purchased from the Finnish company ICEYE.

The Finnish army is expected to take operational control of the satellite system in April 2027, a few months after the center in Tikkakoski opens.

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