This year, the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC) is celebrating its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of continuous operation in the fields of radio astronomy and space exploration. The VIRAC, a structural unit of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, is one of the leading scientific institutions in Northern Europe, specializing in space technologies and radio astronomy.
Since its founding in 1994, the Radio Astronomy Centre has developed into a significant research and technology hub, not only conducting internationally recognized scientific research but also contributing to technological innovations and promoting Latvia’s name worldwide. With its state-of-the-art radio astronomy equipment—including two large radio telescopes (RT-32 and RT-16) and the LOFAR antenna field—VIRAC provides high-precision observations that are important for both the Latvian and international scientific communities.
The Rector of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Andris Vaivads, notes: “Light from the Moon takes 1 second to reach us, from the Sun 8 minutes, from Jupiter an average of 45 minutes (one academic hour), and the center of our galaxy is 26,000 light years away. We could continue like this; space is terrifyingly fascinating! For example, the brightest star in the Gemini constellation, Pollux, is 33 light years away. The light we are seeing from Pollux today left the star in 1991, the year Latvia regained its independence. At that time, today’s young scientists and engineers at VIRAC were either in preschool or not yet born. The VIRAC itself was born in 1994, taking over the large 32-meter and 16-meter diameter antennas from the Soviet army. VIRAC made a huge developmental leap with antenna renovations up until 2015. VIRAC continued to grow, adding a football-field-sized LOFAR antenna field in 2019. VIRAC is also expanding in the fields of defense and commercialization. The foundation of this long journey has been the selfless and purposeful teamwork at VIRAC. Equally critical has been the support from the Ventspils municipal government and the trust the Latvian government has placed in the VIRAC team. So much has happened while the light from Pollux was traveling to Earth. Where to find Pollux... or a black hole? Ask the VIRAC researchers!”
Today, the Irbene radio telescopes are connected to international radio telescope networks. VIRAC scientists, along with their foreign colleagues, are involved in space research, ranging from the nearby Earth ionosphere, the Sun, and Jupiter, to the incredibly distant regions of star formation, active galactic nuclei, and other cosmic objects. In VIRAC's research, data from the Irbene radio telescopes is primarily used, but there are also studies based on theoretical and numerical calculations or data from other radio telescopes.
The Irbene radio telescopes are unique— they have very low noise levels, and even in Irbene itself, the electromagnetic noise level is low. The 32-meter radio telescope is the largest in Northern Europe, and several Irbene radio telescopes located in one place allow for local interferometry measurements, among other advantages.
In the near future, we expect Irbene to be connected to the international satellite communication network, and the first satellite communication sessions with space probes on their way to the Moon. The future development of VIRAC holds enormous potential! VIRAC must continue to cultivate the next generation of engineers and scientists who will be able to realize this potential in the next thirty years.
Through Irbene, to the stars!
Photo: travelfree.lv
VIRAC Director Mārcis Donerblics: “Looking back at the 30 years of VIRAC since July 19, 1994, when Latvia took ownership of the Irbene antenna complex and a few days later established the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre, I am amazed at how many challenges and stages we have had to go through to make the complex globally competitive, as it is today! The takeover, safeguarding, and preservation, the establishment of engineering communications, the restoration of antenna positioning capabilities, renovation, development as members of the EVN, the creation of the LOFAR station, collaboration with the European Space Agency, and the establishment of partnerships with the Swedish Space Corporation— all of this has been achieved not only with external support but also through the selfless dedication and creative work of our colleagues, striving to make the services and science based on the antenna complex accessible to Latvia, the Baltic States, the Nordic countries, Europe, and the global community, while also preserving the opportunity for future generations to use such instruments in Latvia! – For this, I am immensely pleased and grateful!”