Sommarøy: Rising Sun 

69.6 degrees N 

“Two-Eyed Seeing [Etuaptmumk] is learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing and from the other eye with the strengths of Western ways of knowing and to using both of these eyes together.” 

Elder Albert Marshall, Moose Clan of the Mi'kmaw Nation; Eskasoni, Unama'ki (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia)

In the village of Sommarøy (“Summer Island” in Norwegian), we saw the Arctic sun for the first time. For many of our Arctic friends, this was the first sun they’d seen in months. You’d often spot the occasional Emerging Leader turned to the sun, eyes closed, photosynthesizing for a moment - especially Katrine and Elise, both from the northernmost Norwegian county of Finnmark.  

At this destination, our task was to record videos for the upcoming conference, sharing our collective thoughts on what defines a “healthy Arctic." In the process of thinking, writing, and recording, we found some time to wander, just like the two reindeer that meandered through the hillsides near our resort. The village of Sommarøy covers two islands - Store Sommarøya (“Large Summer Island”) and Hillesøya (“Hill Island”) - and our resort sat on the southern part of Hillesøya.  

As the name suggests, Hillesøya is dominated by a 200-meter hill. A popular hiking trail leads to the top, where an old military coastal radar station sits (a road, tunnel, and elevator carved into the hill itself provide military access). Norway is in the process of upgrading their maritime awareness capabilities, including purchasing P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft from Boeing; co-developing new radar systems with Raytheon; and acquiring more mobile radar stations from Lockheed Martin. Space assets are playing a growing role in Norway’s modern surveillance strategy: NorSat-3, launched in 2021, tested a new ship tracking radar; Space Norway is launching a satellite system called MicroSAR later this year in cooperation with KSAT; and KSAT’s parent company Kongsberg Defense was awarded a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to build a satellite for the Arctic Ocean Surveillance project.  

Satellite data is critical for Arctic scientific research, too. During our time in Sommarøy, we heard presentations from fellow Emerging Leaders Malou, Pauke, Wahaj, and program facilitator Amanda on their research projects. Space programs, such as ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2, provide valuable data to support research efforts like theirs. Emma, an Emerging Leader studying marine mammals, tracks whales using the Argos satellite system, a commercial service provided by French company CLS (itself a subsidiary of the French Space Agency, CNES).  

Tromsø / Romsa: East and West 

69.6 degrees N 

“Every country has an army - either your own, or someone else’s.” 

Finnish proverb

Image Credit

Wilson Center/David Marsh

 

In political science, it’s often said that there are only two types of nations: those with a state, and those without one. Our next destination was Tromsø (known as Romsa in the Northern Sami language) for the Arctic Youth Conference and the Arctic Frontiers Conference, where we heard perspectives from a wide range of Arctic experts, including representatives from both Arctic states and stateless nations.  

Some colleagues and I have joked that there should be a word (and there probably already is one in German) for those friends from other countries that you only see once or twice a year at conferences. I loved watching groups of friends, often dressed in traditional Sami or Inuit attire, greet each other at the Arctic Youth Conference. A huge thank you to Emerging Leaders Malou and Mikajosefin for being so inclusive and eager to introduce us to their Greenlandic and Sami friends. 

A key theme of this incredible event, featuring traditional music, cuisine, and perspectives, was the circumpolar relationship among all Arctic peoples. Every Arctic state is governed by a technically non-Arctic capital city - Reykjavik comes closest, lying just 2 degrees below the Arctic Circle; while the northernmost town in Alaska, Utqiagvik, is nearly 3,500 miles from Washington, DC and still over 1,000 miles from the state capital in Juneau. Arctic policy has historically been driven by this dynamic between North and South, between those making the policies and those living with the implications. In a more geopolitically complicated world, the East-West relationships between Arctic communities, many of which share historical, cultural, linguistic, and economic ties, will be just as important as the North-South domestic relationships. 

For Norway, this geographic shift is not just a nice idea, but a strategic necessity. On our first day in Bodø, we learned how, for decades, Norway’s national security strategy was based on quickly moving troops and material north to defend against a Russian assault in Finnmark or Svalbard. Now that Sweden and Finland have joined NATO, the most likely logistical scenario is moving supplies from west to east, through Sweden, to reinforce the 800-mile border between Finland and Russia.  

This type of multinational thinking was commonplace at the Arctic Frontiers Conference, where the annual theme was “Beyond Borders” and President Trump’s comments about Greenland were a hot topic. Space is one area where international cooperation is expanding. Norway and the United States recently partnered on the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, the first time a U.S. military payload was launched on an internationally-owned spacecraft. Norway just joined the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative, a U.S.-led ten-nation military working group for space collaboration, that also includes fellow Arctic nation Canada. In August 2024, ESA launched the first Arctic Weather Satellite onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the first of a planned constellation to provide weather data and support climate change research. ESA is also working with Norway and KSAT on the previously mentioned Arctic Ocean Surveillance Program, scheduled to launch in 2027. The EU Copernicus program recently debuted the “Arctic Hub” in 2024, providing a central repository for increasing access to relevant satellite data.  

During the conference, other Emerging Leaders participated in panels, discussions, and presented their scientific and policy research: Trude, Helle, Mario, Caroline, Gabriella, Runa, Sam, Dan, Clementine, Archana, Andrew, Diego, Kristoffer, Marguerite, and our program coordinator, Linda. The whole event, and our participation, would not have been possible without Julia’s tireless efforts! 

Conclusion: Beyond Borders 

“Hwæt!” 

the first word of the poem Beowulf.  (No direct English translation, closest meaning is “Behold!’) 

On one of the final evenings, a group of four Emerging Leaders gave a closing speech. Andreas, Annemijn, Dan, and Taya all did an excellent job summarizing our trip (in many fewer words than I have here).  

In their speech, they mentioned the poem Beowulf. While a controversial addition, I thought it was a perfectly applicable reference. Written in Old English sometime around 1000 C.E., the epic poem describes a Germanic heroic legend set in Scandinavia. The story, based on an oral tradition, shares elements with other Old Norse literature and even the Bible. It is itself an example of a tradition that crosses borders - and the importance of the stories we choose to tell.  

 

Image Credit

Wilson Center/David Marsh

 

On the last day of the conference, there were a series of panels and events debating climate interventions and the “cost of going green”. Our own Emerging Leaders Larissa and Chip participated in these discussions. One much discussed concept was geoengineering, defined as “deliberate and targeted technologies to enact a change in our environment”. Call it Terraforming, but for Earth. Do space technologies fit this description? Satellites may seem distant or ephemeral, but they have a real impact here in the Arctic, providing the efficient means to monitor, measure, navigate, and communicate across vast distances. It’s up to us to use space responsibly to enact positive change in our environment.