Pori Aims to Join NASA’s Satellite Program – Goal to Enhance Higher Education

The City of Pori, in cooperation with the region’s higher education institutions, is aiming to join NASA’s CubeSat satellite program. The goal of this collaboration is to further strengthen the higher education offerings and multidisciplinary research work available in Pori. A letter of intent regarding the cooperation will be signed this summer.

“Discussions about the opportunities for cooperation have been ongoing since last summer. Program collaboration would mean utilizing data collected from satellites in the research activities of the region’s universities. Pori wants to be a strong partner in advancing this initiative and to help embed new forms of scientific research within the city,” says Lauri Inna, Mayor of Pori.

Applications for NASA’s CubeSat program open in August. The program is based on a concept developed and envisioned by Kimmo Nieminen, whose aim is to leverage artificial intelligence and satellite data in academic research conducted by universities. Nieminen, a spacewalk engineer at NASA, is closely involved in advancing the implementation of the program.

“At the heart of the cooperation is the versatile use of data obtained from satellites in both research and applied projects. There are broad possibilities, from environmental monitoring and the use of AI in scientific analysis to the commercialization of satellite data,” Nieminen explains.

The program offers Pori an opportunity to strengthen its research and development activities and to promote innovation-driven collaboration between various stakeholders.

“I am actively participating in the development and advancement of the program because I see enormous potential in the AI-driven CubeSat initiative—not only for Pori’s higher education community and business sector but also for local children and companies who can benefit from the learning and innovation opportunities it provides,” Nieminen adds.

The program collaboration is led by the University of Turku, which coordinates the Pori University Consortium. The program is implemented in cooperation with Tampere University and Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, both operating within the Pori University Consortium. The consortium is also aiming to establish a satellite ground station.

“We are excited about this opportunity, which fits perfectly with our specific research strengths. It ties into our Center of Excellence for Sustainable Space Technology and our flagship project in digital waterway research, as well as our multidisciplinary work in biodiversity and AI research. This is also a chance to enhance the visibility and appeal of the natural and technical sciences and to develop educational offerings together with other Pori-based organizations,” says Tapio Salakoski, Vice Rector of the University of Turku.

As part of preparing for the program collaboration, the City of Pori will begin developing its own “science path,” which will span from early childhood education through upper secondary school. The science path will be modeled on previously established programs such as the culture path, environmental path, and adventure path. These initiatives bring together learning content provided by the city and its partners for daycare and school groups.

“The science path will encourage children and young people to take advantage of learning environments outside of school and provide practical tools for teachers. It will offer age-appropriate learning modules related to natural phenomena and their principles,” says Esa Kohtamäki, Director of Education Services for the City of Pori.