Finland will establish a military space operations center at the Finnish Air Force headquarters in Tikkakoski on Jan. 1, 2027, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen announced Friday.
– The facility will oversee the Finnish Defense Forces’ space activities, including the development, planning and operation of military capabilities, according to the Defense Ministry.
– It will also coordinate cooperation with NATO and partner countries.
– The center will initially employ around 20 military and civilian personnel, with staffing expected to increase in the coming years.
– Hakkanen said the initiative was part of broader efforts to strengthen Finland’s defense capabilities as space becomes an increasingly important operational domain.
– The country’s military space capabilities are based partly on three synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites acquired from Finnish company ICEYE.
– The military is expected to take operational control of the satellite system in April 2027.