Space Administration Actors
In Finland, different ministries and agencies carry out tasks related to space activities. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment coordinates the activities through the Finnish Space Committee, its secretariat and the preparatory divisions.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s space team acts as the Finnish Space Agency and sees to the coordination of the Finnish space administration. The team serves as the full-time secretariat of the Finnish Space Committee, coordinates Finland's international representation, is responsible for national legislation and participates in the development of international regulation, and ensures communication related to the Finnish space sector and policy.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment the licensing authority for space activities and maintains the Registry of Space Objects.
Satellite navigation systems (GNSS) fall under the administrative branch of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland. The ministry manages international cooperation, national preparation and monitoring in the sector.
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom operates under the auspice of the Ministry for Transport and Communications as the competent authority in matters related to satellite navigation. The competent authority’s key tasks of the responsible authority are the national coordination of the development of the EU's GNSS system and Finnish representation in the working groups for the programmes, the promotion of information security and societal readiness related to GNSS systems, the dissemination of awareness of GNSS systems in Finnish society and the promotion of business opportunities in Finnish business life. In addition, Traficom has been appointed the national PRS which manages the statutory obligations of Galileo's public regulated service (PRS) in Finland.
Galileo’s public regulated system PRS
Traficom also acts as the radio licence authority.
Business Finland's New Space Economy Programme provides innovation funding, networks and export services to help develop Finnish space expertise into a global business.
The New Space Economy Programme is intended for Finnish start-ups that aim to renew the growing space sector, companies in the manufacturing industry seeking growth and companies that utilise data.
The programme also funds Finnish space research.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute’s Space and Remote Sensing Centre is responsible for research of polar areas and near space and the development of the technology used for the activities. The research will focus in particular on Arctic research and remote sensing, new observation methods and space. The Arctic Space Centre, which is part of the Space and Remote Sensing Centre (FMI-ARC) in Sodankylä, receives satellite data and provides data and products made from it to users both in Finland and around the world.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs' Export Control acts as the permit authority for the products that the Act states are subject to supervision. Space activities may involve products, technology, services or other goods that are suitable not only for normal civilian use but also for military purposes. Dual-use products can be very different high-tech products, such as nuclear materials, special materials and associated equipment, electronics, computer equipment, telecommunications and data protection equipment, as well as sensors and lasers.
The Ministry of the Interior acts as the national contact point for secure satellite broadband programmes (GOVSATCOM and IRIS2).
The Ministry of Defence is responsible for utilising space systems for defence purposes.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has very diverse activities in the space sector.