First semester in Kiruna

This August I started studying space technology in the joint European SpaceMaster master's program. This is a two-year program where students spend the first year in Kiruna in Swedish Lapland and the second year in another European university of their choice.

Here are some pictures from my first semester here.

I took the night train from Helsinki to Kolari in Finnish Lapland and cycled the remaining 214 km to Kiruna.

With a high concentration of space-related organizations, such as the Esrange Space and the Swedish Institute of Space Physics IRF (pictured), Kiruna is the definitive focal point of the Swedish space scene. As it happens our campus is in the same building as IRF, which opens up possibilities for students to meet researchers and perhaps even use their equipment.

Kiruna enjoys snow cover for the majority of the year. This year the first proper snow came already on September 19th!

The iron mine operated by LKAB is the lifeline of this northern city. We visited the visitor center 1.5 km underground with some fellow students.

At the airport just before heading back home for the holidays, I got to witness noctilucent clouds, a rare atmospheric phenomenon most often seen in high latitudes.