Nordics in Space: Stronger Together, but Not There Yet

Fresh insights from the Nordic Space & Defence Summit reveal a region with enormous potential to shape Europe’s space power, yet still navigating the complexities of true collaboration. Our Space Missions and Applications Director, Benita Gornicka, provides a summary.

Bringing together 275 participants from 23 countries, the summit created a strong platform for meaningful dialogue, new connections, and concrete business opportunities across the sector. It was valuable to exchange perspectives with industry peers, innovators, investors, and public stakeholders, all working to advance capability, resilience, and collaboration in this space.

A shared ambition, growing global tensions, and insecurity make Nordic countries actively build joint capabilities to strengthen Europe’s position in space. The vision is clear, but key challenges remain unresolved.

“Sibling-Style” Collaboration (“I Love You, but I Have to Be Better Than You”)

There’s a unique dynamic at play: strong mutual trust and connection, shared values, yet a reluctance to let any one country overperform the others in any area.

Many countries aim to develop a broad range of competencies rather than specialize. This creates shared areas of strength, but also highlights the need for greater complementarity and clearer leadership across domains.

Impact Beyond Size

What the Nordics demonstrate powerfully is that collaboration and focus on mastering key competencies matter more than the number of citizens. Nordic countries consistently deliver world-class technologies that compete globally in many competitive sectors.

Policy Matters

Incentives for space companies vary across the region. Finland and Norway are currently leading with particularly attractive schemes, inspiring others and further developing their competencies.

3 Nordic Stars in the Spotlight

A highlight of the summit was the recognition of three standout space innovators: ICEYE, KSAT Inc., and Unibap – companies pushing the boundaries of space technology and innovation.

It was a privilege for me to share the Unibap story – showcasing how Nordic innovation continues to shape the future of space.

The Main Takeaway?

The Nordics have all the ingredients to lead globally in space, but unlocking their full potential will depend on moving from parallel ambition to true strategic alignment.

/ Benita Gornicka, Space Missions and Applications Director, Unibap Space Solutions

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