I made it onto the cover of Hymy -magazine with Katana.Thursday 8/13/26, time 5:52 PM Hymy wrote a story about me and the fact that my trip is finally happening. In the photo, I am with my Katana rocket.
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The Danes are building the Spica rocket themselves.Tuesday 8/4/26 At the dawn of the space age in the 1950s, nations built rockets and sent astronauts into space. Since then, major companies—such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin—have built rockets and sent astronauts into space. Now, we are heading into space relying purely on amateur efforts. The Spica project has been underway since 2008, with the goal of safely sending an amateur astronaut into space. If the project succeeds, Denmark will become the fourth nation to send its own citizens into space on its own rocket. The other nations are the USA, Russia, and China. The project's timeline remains open, but it is exciting to follow. Youtube: Spica Project website:  |
Virgin Galactic news. Flights to begin in 2027Thursday 5/28/26, time 10:31 PM Virgin Galactic has released the schedule below. That means I will be flying in 2027. My 16-year wait is about to end. More information: Virgin Galactic  |
Welcome back Artemis 2!Saturday 4/11/26, time 9:19 AM Great flight. This is the beginning of a new conquest of the moon. Good luck!
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I completed the Tripoli Rocketry Association Level 2 rocket (L2) certificate in VaasaTuesday 4/7/26, time 9:29 PM I have been making and launching rockets for over 10 years. Rockets are an important hobby for me because it gives me the opportunity to learn many things. And it is a really fun thing to do! Rockets can be built from different materials, they have many different types of electronics and their flights have to be simulated. There is enough fun learning to last a lifetime, you can hardly ever retire from rocket work. I completed the Tripoli Rocketry Association Level 2 rocket (L2) certificate in Vaasa. This entitles me to buy larger rocket engines, which allow me to launch a rocket to an altitude of 10 kilometers. I made the certificate flight with my Katana rocket, which was its sixth flight. The Katana is made of 100-millimeter cardboard tube, the wings are plywood, the tip is plastic, it weighs 3.5 kilograms and it is 200 cm long. On this flight it was at an altitude of 750 meters and it returned to the ground with a parachute. There are 7 people in Finland who have an L2 certificate. They are all active members of the Finnish Space Research Society. It would be more fun to make a rocket that could be launched into space, i.e. to an altitude of 100 kilometers. That would require a big team of similar rocket enthusiasts like me. A space launch would probably be a multi-year project and would require quite a lot of money. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWFZWhMwpPo Tripoli: Finnish Space Research Society: Pictures: Vesa Heilala & Jan Holmgärd
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Artemis II is finally going to the moon!Thursday 4/2/26, time 9:25 PM This morning Finnish time, Artemis II finally left for the moon. It would have been nice to watch the launch from Florida with a few others, but it's a bit of a risk to leave Finland for Florida, because you never know for sure whether the launch will happen. This launch was also postponed twice. Maybe one day I'll get to watch the rocket launch... Gene Cernan was the last Apollo astronaut to leave the moon in 1972. I met his child in 2019, who said that his father hoped he wouldn't be the last man on the moon. Gene died in 2017, so he didn't get to see this flight. There are five Apollo astronauts still alive. It would be nice to hear what they think about the Artemis flights. Now there are an exciting 10 days ahead. If this flight is successful, then humans will return to the moon after 50 years. Video of the launch -> CNN youtube Photo of the launch
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CanSat 2026 25-29.03.2026 in Vaasa, FinlandMonday 3/30/26, time 10:13 PM CanSat was organized for the fifth time in Finland and this time there were a record 15 teams. There were new schools and old veterans. Kokkola Finnish High School was participating for the fifth time. In CanSat, teams have to build a satellite the size of a can. In this project, students learn coding, electronics, performance, media and working on a project. Before this weekend, the students had easily spent two hundred hours of their own time on the CanSat project. This weekend was the culmination of the students' hard work. The CanSat competition was organized by ESERO Finland, the Science Center Heureka and the Finnish Space Research Society (SATS) acted as the launch operator. The program of the event was as follows: Wednesday was a travel dayWe drove (SATS) from Helsinki to Vaasa and stayed at the hotel. We were still refining the program for the coming days. We had a meeting in the hotel sauna every day. It was a good place to plan. We were a team of 9 helping with the CanSat competition. Thursday was the day to finish the satellitesWe did technical checks on the satellites of the CanSat teams. The satellites must withstand a take-off acceleration of over 20 G and must remain intact even when they parachute to the ground, and the data connection must not be interrupted. The teams received the rockets we made, which were then decorated in different ways. We walked around and watched the teams in action. Friday was the first launch dayWe went to Söderfjärden in the morning to prepare for the launches. We installed 1 launch tower, tested the launch systems and prepared the packing room. We were ready to receive the first teams. The satellites were packed into the rockets in Meteoria, after which the teams walked 500 meters to the launch site. At the launch site, the rocket engine was installed on the rocket, the rocket was pushed into the launch tower and lastly the igniter was placed inside the rocket engine. One of the team launched the rocket into the sky. Friday's launches went well. We launched a total of 14 CanSats into the sky, at best we launched a rocket every 15 minutes. Our main engine was an H-class engine (Aerotech H219 DMS). The CanSat satellites reached an altitude of 750 meters in about 12 seconds. Between and after the CanSat operations, we launched 4 of our own rockets. One of our own rockets was my Katana rocket, which had a 360 camera on the tip. I will make a video of it at some point. Saturday was the seconed lauch dayOn Saturday we launched another CanSat.One team did not get their satellite ready on Friday, so it was launched on Saturday morning. We launched our own rockets for the rest of the day. In the evening the wind started to get too strong and we dismantled the launch systems. Sunday was the presentation dayOn Sunday, 15 teams presented their results. The young people are skilled performers and their presentations in English were good. As before, Jan Holmgärd, ESERO Finland, was involved, wrote the following article and took some great photos: CanSat 2026, Vaasa https://edugalaxen.com/2026/03/26/march-26-29-cansat-competition-in-vaasa-finland/ Photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/192360479@N08/albums/72177720332730675 The Finnish Space Research Society's CanSat 2026 team was: Matti Lepomäki, rocket engines and rocket launch Finnish Space Research Society
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Leave a comment. Keywords: CanSat, Vaasa |
Richard Branson say that flying will start again this yearSaturday 3/7/26, time 10:17 PM Richard Branson spoke at the Space-Comm Europe event a few days ago. He was there remotely from Necker Island. He said that Virgin Galactic flights will begin later this year on new Delta-class rockets. The best thing about the Delta-class is the ability to make space flights as often as every 48 hours. The previous generation rocket, the VSS Unity, which was retired in 2024, required many months of maintenance time between flights. If so, then my flight will actually happen in 2027! More information: satellitetoday.com Picture. Branson spaking remotely.  |
Virgin Galactic has selected a group of women for a research flightSaturday 1/31/26, time 10:11 AM Virgin Galactic is sending a three-person research team into space. The flight date has not yet been announced, but it is expected to take place before the end of the year. More information ->Youtube |
What happened in 2025 and what do I expect from 2026?Thursday 1/1/26 What happened in 2025: The absolute highlight of the year was meeting Lina Borozin in Las Vegas. Lina flew into space on VG flight number 6. I got a lot of information from her about what space flight is like and various practical tips. Virgin Galactic:
CanSat 2025:
My own rockets: I made a big Katana rocket and launched it into the sky several times. The rocket is 190 cm long, weighs 3 kilos and is made of a 100 mm tube. The highest flight was in Vaasa, when the rocket reached an altitude of 1300 meters and the instantaneous speed was 800 kilometers per hour. In Vaasa, I also completed the Tripoli Rocketry Association L1 license, which entitles you to buy large rocket engines. There are about 10 people in Finland who have an L1 license. Rocket-Uno:
International UFO conference:
Finnish Space Research Society:
What I expect from 2026: Virgin Galactic: Virgin Galactic will have its first Delta rockets ready and will do the first test flights into space. Commercial flights are scheduled to begin later this year. VG made a total of 7 commercial flights in 2023 and 2024. There will be several Delta rockets built, so VG can make flights every week in the future. My flight number is around 35. My own flight is possible in late 2026. In 2026, I might also go to a VG meeting. I haven't met my space friends in a few years, except for Lina, who I met in Las Vegas. CanSat 2026:
Happy New Year! Links
Building Virgin Galactic rockets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97qBfuuokKA CanSat https://en.suomalainenastronautti.fi/blog/2025/04/09/48515 Tripoli Rocketry Association L1 My own Katana rocket Blackhawk 38: Rocket-Uno: Ufo conference: |
Lina Borozina, the first Ukrainian woman in spaceThursday 12/4/25 Lina flew into space on Virgin Galactic flight 06 on January 26, 2024. I met Lina a few times in 2011–2013 at Virgin Galactic events in the United States and England. This time, our meeting took place in Las Vegas. She stood out from the other VG astronauts with her bright personality, which is why she was very memorable. There must be something in common in our thinking and the space connection between us has been preserved. We are the only known VG astronauts who took out a loan to go into space. It was nice to talk to Lina about the space flight. She told me many details about the flight. We examined her space suit, the pockets in it, what you can put in the pockets, and we talked about how the parachute works. The three most important things about the flight are according to Lina: the three days of training before the flight were really good, the rocket acceleration is much more intense than you can experience in a centrifuge, and the best experience was looking out the window. When the rocket engine is fired, you can actually miss a few heartbeats because the acceleration is so violent. Lina thinks that doing somersaults in a weighted position is pointless and she focused on looking out the windows of the rocket during the flight. The view is incomparable, it was so breathtaking. We talked about mutual acquaintances, Richard Branson, the VG staff and the progress of the Delta rockets building. Three hours passed quickly, when two space enthusiasts meet after a long time, there is plenty to talk about. In Finland, I don’t have a friend with whom to gossip about space flights, I have to look for a friend a little further. Thanks to Lina, I joined the VG astronauts’ what’s up group, which I was not aware of. I am glad that there are many acquaintances in the group. Thanks to the group, I am now better informed about VG matters. It is important to Lina to be an example to children and young people, and she has spoken about space matters in many places. Lina is a well-known person in Ukraine, and President Zelensky would have called her after the flight, but then Russia launched an airstrike and the president had to go to a bomb shelter. She has been an example to many, if I manage to motivate children and young people to study and get excited about science like Lina, I will be very happy. When I started the space project in 2010, I had a goal to do three things before the flight: visit the spaceport, do a weightless flight and experience G-forces in a centrifuge. I did these things in 2011 and 2013. At first, I didn’t think about how important it is to meet someone who has already made the flight. Of course, you can watch videos and listen to interviews, but it can’t replace a personal meeting. Meeting Lina finalized my preparation for the flight. There’s no more preparation I can do. Now I’m ready for the flight. Thank you, Lina! Lina's Flight, Virgin Galactic 06 , 2 #Galactic06 26.01.2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYXxgqlNSfE My blog post about Lina's Flight https://en.suomalainenastronautti.fi/blog/2024/1/27/45598 Lina Borozdina, Virgin Galactic astronaut 023 https://www.virgingalactic.com/astronaut-bio-lina-borozdina Pictures: Lina and Vesa Las Vegas 2025 and Line in spacasuit (picture Virgin Galactic)   |
International UFO Conference in EspooSunday 9/7/25, time 10:28 PM Since I was a child, I have been interested in space, astronauts, rockets and space-related technologies. For the last 10 years I have been building miniature rockets myself. One area that I had not had time to delve into was UFOs and related research. Luckily, an international UFO conference was held near me, in Espoo, and I went there with my friends to explore it. The conference was three days long, but as first-time attendees, we thought one day would be enough. On Saturday, there were four really interesting presentations. The presentations lasted 90 minutes and then there was a 10–30 minute opportunity to ask questions and discuss the presentation. The second presentation was given by Giorgio Piacenza on the topic of the Nazca mummies of aliens found in Peru. The third was given by Alan Foster on UFO sightings and the numerous strange patterns that have been cut into cornfields around the world. These patterns have not been found in the cornfields of Finland. Finally, Gosia Duszak spoke about the different races of the galaxy that she has been in contact with. One interesting race is the lion people, who looked like lions who can stand. She also explained what the Galactic Federation is. All the speakers were very skilled and did not hesitate to ask any questions. This seminar gave me a good overview of UFOs and the researchers and studies related to them. Video -> Ilta-Sanomat
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The Rocket-Uno got a new accordion roofTuesday 8/26/25, time 9:36 PM I bought my Fiat Uno in 2012. At that time, its accordion roof was already quite worn and looked bad. After many years of searching, I found a person in Finland who restored the roof. The person who restored the roof was found by Harri Rintala, the chairman of the Finnish Fiat club. Harri needed two restored accordion roofs for his own Uno -projects. The original roof color was black, but for this car I made it painted blue on top. I painted the interior with a space theme myself. Here are a few pictures. Now the Rocket-Uno looks better than ever.     |
Latest Virgin Galactic video on how rockets are builtFriday 8/8/25, time 10:59 PM Virgin Galactic released a new video on how to build rockets: Image from the video
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Virgin Galactic Interim Report Q1/2025Saturday 5/17/25, time 10:22 PM Virgin Galactic (VG) released its interim report. It says: -construction of new rockets is on schedule More information: Virgin Galactic |
Flights to begin in fall 2026Monday 5/12/25, time 9:56 PM Virgin Galactica's Mike Moses was speaking to students in Florida about space issues May 10th, 2025. He gave an update on Virgin Galactica. Several Delta-class rockets are under construction and will be ready for test flights in spring 2026. Space flights are planned for the end of the year, and there should be several. More detailed information about the flights will be available on May 15, 2025. The previous rocket made a total of 7 customer flights between June 2023 and June 2024. So now there has been a year-long break in flights. More information: Florida today Mike Moses in the photo.
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CanSat 2025 26-30.03.2025 in Vaasa, FinlandWednesday 4/9/25, time 8:46 PM CanSat 2025CanSat was organized for the fourth time in Finland and this time a record 11 teams participated. There were new schools and old veterans. Kokkola Finnish High School participated for the fourth time. In CanSat, teams have to build a satellite the size of a can. In this project, students learn coding, electronics, performance, media and working on a project. Before this weekend, the students had easily spent two hundred hours of their own time on the CanSat project. This weekend was the culmination of the students' hard work. The CanSat competition was organized by ESERO Finland, the Heureka Science Center, and the Finnish Space Research Society (SATS) acted as the launch operator. The event program was as follows:
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Leave a comment. Keywords: CanSat, Vaasa |
CanSat 2025 is approaching, the rockets are readySunday 3/16/25 The Finnish Space Research Society's "The RocketBoys" team has been busy in recent months. I am one of the team members. The video shows how CanSat rockets are made. These rockets are loaded with tin-sized CanSat satellites that student teams have made during the winter. The competition will be held in Vaasa from 27 to 30.2025. There, these rockets will be launched to an altitude of about a kilometer. The Rocket Boys team will be handling everything related to the launch for the fourth time. In Vaasa, the team will also have the opportunity to launch their own rockets. I have built two rockets, named Katana and KMX. The Katana rocket is slightly larger than the CanSat rockets. The diameter of the Katana's body tube is 100 mm, it is 1.90 cm long and it weighs 3 kilograms. In Vaasa, Katana is planned to be launched to an altitude of 1600 meters with a Cesaroni 1016J360 motor. More information: Youtube: CanSat 2025 rocket making, by Matti Space Esero Finland: CanSat 2025 project and competition In the picture I am checking the rockets
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Virgin Galactic newsThursday 2/27/25, time 10:09 PM Virgin Galactic is now focused on making rockets efficiently. The attached video shows how they make rockets and what else is coming. My rocket is been made in this video. |
What happened in 2024 and what I expect from 2025?Wednesday 1/1/25 What happened in 2024:Virgin Galactic:
CanSat 2024:
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