SSC Space and Kuva Space have signed a letter of intent to explore a strategic partnership. The focus is on commercial, institutional, and security-related space services, with a particular emphasis on the Nordic region. The companies announced this in a press release.
"The aim is to leverage the complementary strengths of both companies and support closer Finnish-Swedish cooperation in security-related space activities, while also advancing each company's respective commercial interests. Kuva Space is a driving force in the rapidly growing and innovative Finnish space market," says Charlotta Sund, Chief Executive Officer of SSC Space.
The collaboration is intended to build on the companies' complementary capabilities. SSC Space works with, among other things, ground segments and space operations, while Kuva Space develops satellites for hyperspectral Earth observation and AI-based analysis.
The background to the letter of intent is described as a growing strategic interest in space across the Nordic region and Europe, where investment in sovereign space infrastructure and security has intensified.
"New public investments in national space capabilities, as well as EU initiatives for a more secure and sovereign space infrastructure, signal a shift in how the sector is perceived: not merely as a commercial or scientific domain, but as part of the region's long-term resilience and operational readiness," SSC Space writes in the press release.
Earlier this spring, NDS reported that Swedish space activities would receive an additional 400 million Swedish kronor in the spring supplementary budget, of which 386 million is allocated to SSC Space.
"The investments increase Sweden's capability to launch military and civilian satellites," said Sweden's Minister for Defence, Pål Jonson, at the time.
Under the terms of the letter of intent, the companies will explore opportunities for joint participation in various space programmes. This includes, among other things, support for satellite missions via ground stations, development of satellite systems and payloads, use of launch infrastructure such as Esrange Space Center (northern Sweden), and analysis of data for intelligence purposes over land and sea.