Topic: research

The first Estonian Astrobiology Day will take place on 10 April. The aim of the event is to create a community of astrobiology enthusiasts in Estonia, bringing together researchers, students, and anyone interested in the origin of life and its distribution in the universe.

On February 13 at 14.00, Andres Käosaar will give a talk at the Tartu Observatory, followed by a discussion with Mihkel Pajusalu, Associate Professor of Space Technology at the University of Tartu Observatory.

The European Space Agency and the University of Tartu have signed an agreement to develop the ESTCube-3 satellite. This is a major step forward in advancing Estonia’s space technology and cybersecurity, providing students and researchers with the opportunity to practise satellite control and operations. ESTCube-3 is planned for launch by early 2029.

The Tartu Observatory of the University of Tartu has made remarkable progress over the past three years in the study of exoplanets – planets outside our Solar System. In collaboration with University College London, Uppsala University, and the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the observatory’s researchers have acquired new expertise in modern spectroscopy and the use of machine learning, bringing Estonian science to the forefront of international research.

Estonian space education and space technology are entering a new phase. On 22 August, the University of Tartu (UT), Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian Student Satellite Foundation signed an official cooperation agreement to initiate a joint space programme running for at least three years.

A new study finds that galaxy clusters — cosmic cities packed with thousands of galaxies — trace invisible highways of dark matter stretching up to a billion light years across the universe. Even more remarkable, the clusters point the way to their neighbors.

The Axiom Mission 4 was launched from Kennedy Space Center on 25 June at 9:31, delivering volcanic algae to the International Space Station (ISS) for an experiment for which key electronic components were developed at Tartu Observatory.

From June 2nd to 4th, the traditional Estonian-Finnish Cosmology Conference took place at the Viinistu Art Harbour, this year under the title “Cracking the Universe.” The meeting between the Tartu and Tuorla observatories brought together astrophysicists and theoretical physicists from Estonia, Finland, and beyond.