Consultation round on the reform of the national space strategy launched
The draft strategy can be consulted and statements can be issued through the lausuntopalvelu.fi system until 31 August 2024.
Introduction
The world is increasingly dependent on space, not only for the economy but also for wellbeing and security. Space activities play an increasingly important role in the functioning of our society and everyday life. The strategic and military importance of outer space has also grown rapidly. The most important services available from space are location and time data, telecommunications and remote sensing.
The space sector and its geopolitical operating environment have changed significantly in recent years. In 2018-2022, the sector has grown globally by 30%. Some 200 companies operate in the sector in Finland. Their turnover from space activities has tripled over the same period. International research has shown that investments in space activities will recover 6-7 times through the benefits of other sectors of society. On the other hand, the security and defence policy significance of space activities is constantly growing and is one of the operating environments of intensifying competition between superpowers.
In order to be able to produce and utilise space services, expertise, research data and an enabling operating environment are needed. Cooperation between the private and public sectors plays a key role in this. Within the limits of limited resources, capabilities that we can develop at the national level must be identified. These can be supported through services acquired through international cooperation.
The new national space strategy emphasises the utilisation of space services in different sectors of society. Space services make it possible to streamline many everyday activities and increase productivity. They can also be used to improve society's defence capability and security. The role of space services as part of critical infrastructure must also be taken into account in the planning of security of supply.
Background
In summer 2023, the Finnish Space Committee noted that the space sector and the security and geopolitical situation have changed significantly since the preparation of the national space strategy published in 2018, and Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman appointed a cross-sectoral working group to reform the national space strategy in December 2023.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is responsible for the reform project of the national space strategy. The working group consists of representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office, Business Finland, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and the National Emergency Supply Agency. The working group is chaired by the Secretary General of the Finnish Space Committee.
The aim of the working group is to draw up a situation picture of the realisation of the objectives of the current space strategy, changes in the space sector, the impact of changes in the geopolitical operating environment on space activities and the needs related to space activities in the security and defence sector. Based on the assessed situational picture, the aim is to draw up and publish an updated national space strategy for 2024-2030 and to communicate the opportunities offered by space activities to stakeholders.
Objectives
The revised space Strategy defines vision 2030 “Finland 2030: the world's most advanced space operating environment that benefits society as a whole”. The objectives and measures for achieving the vision have been defined through four objectives: 1) utilisation, 2) operating environment, 3) functional capacity, 4) international cooperation. The objectives and measures of each objective take into account actors in different sectors.
Schedule
Statements can be issued from 1 July to 31 August 2024.
Instructions for responding to recipients
The statements are requested to be submitted via the lausuntopalvelu.fi service or by email to the Registry of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment: kirjaamo.tem(at)gov.fi. The comments are requested to refer to the record number VN/32886/2023. Statements can be issued by public and private organisations, companies and private individuals. The statements are public.
In order to give a statement, the respondent must register and log in to the lausuntopalvelu.fi service. More detailed instructions on how to use the service can be found on the lausuntopalvelu.fi website: Instructions > User instructions. Support for service use can be requested from lausuntopalvelu.om(at)om.fi.
Prepared by
Tero Vihavainen, Chief Specialist - tero.vihavainen(at)gov.fi
