Space Weather Training Course in Kiruna, Sweden 

In conjunction with the European Space Weather Week conference 2025, we will organize a space weather training course in Kiruna, Sweden from Thursday 23rd Oct to Sunday 26th Oct 2025 with arrival on Wednesday 22nd Oct. 

Please note that the location is different from that of the European Space Weather Week which will be held in Umeå, Sweden (600 km south of Kiruna). After the training course ends, all participants will travel together to Umeå to attend the conference. 

Kiruna: the Swedish space city in the Arctic

Located in the northernmost part of Sweden, Kiruna is a unique city known for its dramatic landscapes and rich cultural heritage. Founded in the late 19th century to support the Kiruna iron ore mine, still operating today, the city has grown into a vibrant community where wilderness and urban Arctic life coexist harmoniously. With its natural beauty, including the Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun, visiting Kiruna is an extraordinary experience.

Kiruna stands out as a significant space hub for research and innovation. The Space Campus in Kiruna is home to the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), the headquarters of EISCAT AB,  a scientific organisation that operates radar antenna sites north of the Arctic Circle to enable research on the ionosphere and the upper atmosphere and Luleå University of Technology’s Kiruna department. The Esrange Space Center run by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) is also located in Kiruna. The center serves as a premier site for launching rockets and conducting space research. Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) operates a ground station, supporting numerous satellite missions together with SSC and contributing to global space exploration efforts. 

Venue 

The main venue will be the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna. The lodging will be at Malmfältens Fölkhögskola in Kiruna and the participants will share rooms. 

It is expected that participants arrive no later than Wednesday 22nd Oct 2025 in Kiruna. The trip (Kiruna- Umeå) to the conference will be on Sunday 26th Oct  by train and will be arranged by the organizers of the training course. 

Program 

Sporadic and massive eruptions of highly energetic matter and radiation from the Sun can trigger Space Weather processes in the near-Earth environment. Technological infrastructures on and around our planet are prone to Space Weather: satellite navigation and radio wave propagation can be impacted, as well as large energy transport systems like electrical power grids.

Human health is also endangered by Space Weather: harmful radiation at flight altitude can increase when a solar particle storm hits the Earth’s environment, exposing crews and passengers to increased particle radiation.

Impacted stakeholders want to learn about those natural hazards. The need for Space Weather knowledge is increasing fast as more nations, companies and industries want to increase their awareness and resilience, in order to bridge with the community and learn how products made available by its members can be exploited.

The training course covers the basics of Space Weather, data, models, indices, alerts, forecasts and products. A detailed programme is available here and includes a visit to a relevant research center.  

Application

You can find all information about applications and sponsoships on our Application page.

Organizers

Sponsors