Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen has decided to set up a Space Operations Centre at Air Force Command in Tikkakoski, near Jyväskylä. It is scheduled to start operating on 1 January 2027.
The Finnish Air Force says the centre will be the national command element for space defence. It will produce a military space situational picture together with the civilian space situation centre at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. It will also coordinate with allies and partners, and plan and operate the Defence Forces’ own space capabilities.
About 20 military and civilian specialists will transfer to the centre from within the Defence Forces. According to the Ministry of Defence, staffing will grow over the coming years.
From 1 April 2027, the Defence Forces will take over operation of the three ICEYE SAR satellites ordered in September 2025, as previously reported by NDS. Until then, ICEYE operates them under the contract. The satellites were launched in 2025 and 2026.
The ministry calls the centre one of the first concrete steps under a defence space strategy. Work on the strategy is nearing completion.