The Exploration of Space and Its Infrastructure Investigated

• Who shapes the future of space exploration in the Arctic?
• How does that effect our approach to living sustainably on this planet?
• And what is the role for Iceland in these space futures?

The NordSpace project explores these questions by examining the economic factors influencing the space sector in Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, the national space strategies of these Nordic states, and the imaginaries of space futures across the Arctic.

“Perhaps people don’t realize it, but the autumn months have been bustling with space-related activities all across Iceland,” says Adam Fishwick, co-investigator and the researcher responsible for the Icelandic case study in the project. “I’ve been closely following these events to understand what’s happening across the country in the space sector, who is involved, and what they are doing,” he adds.

And what is happening?

“There’s an incredible amount going on. In September, the International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG) visited Iceland and hosted it´s working group meetings. Additionally, the Icelandic Space Agency hosted a public outreach event in connection with the visit, where the President of Iceland delivered the opening address. Space agencies from across the world – including NASA, the European Space Agency, and many more – presented their visions of space futures,” explains Adam. He also notes that the topics of discussion were highly diverse, ranging from investment opportunities in the “Mars and lunar economies” to the role of art and gender equality in advancing space exploration.

The NordSpace project will continue to investigate the different actors involved in the space sector in Iceland and across the Nordics, learning more about who is involved and how they are shaping the development of space infrastructures across the region. The research is funded until 2026 by the Norwegian Research Council, with further funding awarded this summer from the University of the Arctic to establish a new Arctic-Space Sustainability Thematic Network. This network will be launched during 2025 and host its first meeting in Reykjavik next summer.

Kárhóll

Closer to home, the recent meeting of the SMILE project between the European Space Agency and Chinese Academy of Sciences showed the range of actors involved in space and the connections to Iceland. Adam also visited the Chinese-Icelandic Arctic Observatory at Kárhóll to finish a busy couple of months on the Nordspace project, seeing the ongoing work of this site and better understanding its role in the developing space infrastructures of the Arctic region.

Adam is also the research director at the university and a visiting professor.