06/05/2026
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In the far northern reaches of Finnish Lapland, an ambitious new chapter in Earth observation is unfolding. The European Space Agency, together with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Finnish industrial partners, is advancing plans to develop a state-of-the-art ‘supersite’ in Sodankylä.
The plan is to equip this remote site with an array of new advanced environmental measuring technologies, including a striking high-tech airship carrying sensors to perform regional surveys.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute’s Arctic Space Centre in Sodankylä lies well above the Arctic Circle. Nestled within vast boreal forest, enduring long, cold winters and a short growing season, the site, and the surrounding region, is representative of the wider boreal forest biome – the world’s largest land-based biome stretching across northern Canada, Scandinavia and Russia.
The site is therefore an ideal natural laboratory to further develop the role and capabilities of satellite-based Earth observation and sensors to monitor, understand and predict future environmental trends in this area.
Evolving the Finnish Arctic Space Centre into a supersite for Earth observation will deliver benefits on multiple fronts.
The installation of new on-site sensors and regional airborne surveys will deepen our understanding of how boreal forests function and respond to change. It will enhance the quality of environmental information collected by satellites passing overhead – for instance enabling comparisons between ground-based measurements and satellite-derived observations and maps of the region.
The new supersite will open up new opportunities for Finnish companies to develop and test advanced environmental sensing technologies, and compare their innovative solutions with reference sensors in place. By improving the quality of satellite-derived data, the supersite will also pave the way for new services and applications tailored to the Arctic region.
Building on initial agreements, a contract signed at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium last year and a recent review, ESA is now proceeding with the procurement and installation of the new sensing instruments at the site, as well as implementing airborne sensing campaigns supported through its FutureEO programme.
Head of ESA’s Earth Observation Campaigns section, Malcolm Davidson, explained, “The new supersite will play a fundamental role in helping us further develop the role and Europe’s capabilities in monitoring the Arctic from space – for instance through upcoming satellite missions such as Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring mission and the Copernicus Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band mission – two of the Copernicus Sentinel Expansion missions.
Since the Arctic is sparsely populated and covers a large area, Earth observation satellites are the key to mapping and monitoring the unique and fragile Arctic region.”
Hannakaisa Lindqvist, who is leading the activity for Finnish Meteorological Institute, added, “ESA has now agreed to a set of new instruments that will be installed at the site including a new tower-based multifrequency radiometer and innovative greenhouse gas sensors.
“Also planned are regional surveys using a new remotely-controlled airship system that can fly up to 12 hours which will generate the first 3D map of all vegetation surrounding Sodankylä.”
The SpacEconomy project, Finland’s strategic research initiative to strengthen the national space ecosystem, is also involved in the supersite. One of its key goals is to engage companies that have not traditionally operated in the space sector and connect them with space activities and ESA. In this context, ESA Phi-Lab Finland also has a strong presence.