IRISS News / Press office
8-12, September 2025 NORDSPACE
It’s a wrap! Three days of workshopping, networking, and intense debates around the Arctic and outer space have come to an end — and what a journey it’s been!
We kicked off with the NordSpace Research Project workshop, diving deep into how space activities in the Nordics intersect with Arctic sustainability and security. Then we had the pleasure to meet with the UArctic (University of the Arctic) network on 'Arctic space sustainability', where we explored how outer space activities affect one of Earth’s most fragile regions. Huge thanks to Adam Fishwick, Jean Frederic Morin, Xiao-Shan Yap, Ayşem Mert, Elana Wilson Rowe, Adam Bower, Michael Byers 🇨🇦, Laura Horn, Bárður Clementsen, Ola Svenonius, Dastan Said, Kristoffer Benjamin Løge Hedman, and Katharina Glaab (and John-Andrew McNeish and Alla Pozdnakova, who were missed). Special thanks to Adam Fishwick for the stellar local organization, and to Daniel Leeb from the Iceland Space Agency (ISA) and Iceland Research Institute for Space Science for hosting us.
An absolute highlight was the screening of 'Aniara' at Listasafn Reykjavíkur — a haunting Nordic meditation on technological hubris and environmental collapse. The following panel on “Nordic-Arctic Space Futures” with Laura Horn, Xiao-Shan Yap, Daniel Leeb and Thomas Pausz helped us imagine (somewhat) more hopeful futures rooted in collective governance, environmental stewardship, and critical imagination. (Also helped soften the blow of that ending…)
The tour to one of Iceland’s ‘terrestrial analogues’ — a site where NASA and scientists prepare for future Mars missions — was a fantastic end to the workshop. The glacier gave serious Interstellar vibes. 🚀 Thanks again to the Iceland Space Agency (ISA) for organizing this unforgettable trip.
Iceland gave us space to think about space and the Arctic — now back to Earth.
FOGOS Space (COST Action CA23118) NMBU Faculty of Landscape and Society hashtag#space hashtag#Arctic
1, July 2025 NASA SWIFT & ESA Mars Sample Return
This week marks the 60th anniversary of the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Apollo astronaut training missions in Iceland. The Iceland Space Agency and our recently established Iceland Research Institute of Space Science had the profound honor of celebrating this milestone by participating in field research and hosting a public engagement with an elite team of scientists from the NASA SWIFT, NASA funded HABMARS, and the ESA / NASA MSR Joint science teams, who were all here working together and sharing their expertise to explore the unique connections between Iceland, the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies.
At our engagement event, Rektor Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir reflected on the Apollo training, reminding us that it was in fact Sigurður Þórarinsson and Guðmundur E Sigvaldason, geologists from the University of Iceland, who were in the field with the astronauts, sharing their knowledge of the geology that would ultimately inform both lunar landings and astronaut EVAs. International collaboration was then, is now, and always will be fundamental to the pursuit of scientific truth, exploration, and for science’s biggest questions, such as “Why are we here?”
This pursuit can take us many places, geothermally active volcanic lakes where life could have emerged, or a seemingly indescript outcrop of rocks that could mirror the geochemistry of Mars, drilling for subsurface ice on top of a volcano to inform ice resources on the moon, or maybe hammering into freshly solidified lava that can tell us something about our morning star. In all cases the scientific process works best when combined with teamwork and International collaboration to ask the critical questions and find solutions together that can help us better understand ourselves, our planet, and our place in the solar system. These questions and these inquisitors also demonstrate how Scientific Inquiry and knowledge sharing help all of humanity chart a more meaningful existence when we invest in this work together.
With a couple weeks to reflect on Iceland’s small but significant contribution to space science both in the past and present, I felt It was especially important now to voice strong support for the field research and Scientists who have been coming to Iceland for decades, working behind the scenes with the local expertise to help create mission success for future generations. To the specific teams that were here this past month, thank you for sharing your knowledge and inspiration once again, we look forward to continuing this journey and seeing you all again very soon. Frá Íslandi upp í Máni og Mars, Takk fyrir og goða ferð!
With the exception of the 1st image ´S65-39245´ taken the week of July 12th 1965 of Astronaut David Scott, Gene Cernan , and geologist Dr. Elbert King , courtesy of NASA , all other Photos are courtesy ISA / captured between June 18- July 1st 2025.
The Iceland Research Institute for Space Science, aka IRISS has successfully launched with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education! The IRISS proposal was submitted by Háskoli Íslands in October 2024 to the Samstarf Háskóla fund in collaboration with the Iceland Space Agency and the academic partnerships of Háskólinn á Akureyri, and Listaháskoli Íslands.
21-23 May 2025 NASA Artemis Accords Workshop UAE
🇮🇸✨ From Iceland, to UAE🇦🇪, to the Moon ✨🌖
Last week, Iceland proudly participated in the #NasaArtemis Accords Workshop in Abu Dhabi hosted by the UAE Space Agency and joined by 30+ international signatories dedicated to shaping a peaceful, cooperative future in space. It was an honor to be a part of this important dialog with our fellow signatories and we thank our UAE hosts for giving us this fantastic space to meet and exchange our perspectives.
The Artemis Accords are a landmark multilateral agreement, currently signed by 55 nations, that outline principles for sustainable space exploration as we return to the Moon and set our sights on Mars.
Representing Iceland was Mission Director Daniel Leeb who also serves as Managing Director of the Iceland Research Institute of Space Science (#iriss). IRISS is a part of Háskóli Íslands which was appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education to continue Iceland’s legacy as a leading international partner in space science and exploration. From supporting the training of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts durring the Apollo era to the return of the Artemis astronauts who have landed in our lunar highlands over the last few summers, Iceland was a part of this journey at the dawn of the space age and we will continue to play a vital role helping to shape Humanity’s next giant leap.
With the launch of Iceland’s MÁNI program and the establishment of IRISS, Iceland now strengthens its role as a global bridge between science, innovation, exploration, and international collaboration, helping to chart our path back to the moon and beyond. Frá Íslandi upp í himingeim
Photos courtesy UAE Space Agency
#ArtemisAccords #SpaceDiplomacy #IRISS #IcelandSpaceAgency#IcelandMoonMars #MÁNI #ApolloToArtemis #UAEspace #MoonToMars #IcelandicInnovation #Sp
IRISS
IRISS is managed by the University of Iceland in collaboration with the Iceland Space Agency and the academic partnerhships of Háskolinn á Ákureyri, Listaháskoli Íslands and the Ministry of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education. The establishment of IRISS is an important step for Iceland which creates the academic framework and research infrastructure necessary to realize the full potential of Iceland´s brightest minds and seize on the value that our nation can bring to the global discourse of space science, exploration, creativity, policy and innovation. IRISS will be the space research and innovation development hub and POC for space activities in Iceland. We will be creating a center of excellence that will connect domestically based researchers and public/private sector stakeholders with international space agencies, institutes, universities and companies interested in conducting research, training, technology development, and/or business in and around Iceland relating to both Earth and Space science. IRISS aims to inspire future generations in Iceland to reach for the stars while nurturing a better understanding of, and conservation for the Earth beneath our feet. Sustainable Knowledge exchange and technology transfer are key tenants to our success and will be core to our operations as we chart a path for Iceland as a leading international partner for space exploration, research, sustainability, and innovation.