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Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre Celebrates 30 Years

November 7, 2024

This year, the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC) celebrates its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of continuous activity in the fields of radio astronomy, space technology and communication. VIRAC - a research institute at the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) stands as one of the leading scientific institutions in Northern Europe, specializing in space technology, radio astronomy and large aperture antenna operations.


Since its establishment in 1994, VIRAC has grown into a prominent research and technology center that not only conducts internationally recognized scientific research but also contributes to technological innovation and raises Latvia's profile on the global stage. Equipped with world-class radio astronomy facilities — including two large aperture antennas (RT-32 and RT-16), a low frequency antenna array – LOFAR and electronics & RF, signal processing, cryogenics as well as mechanical engineering laboratories and workshops — VIRAC enables high-precision observations that are vital to both Latvian and international scientific communities.


VUAS Rector Andris Vaivads reflects on VIRAC’s journey:


"Light from the Moon takes 1 second to reach us, from the Sun 8 minutes, from Jupiter on average 45 minutes (the length of an academic hour). The center of our galaxy is 26,000 light-years away. Space is vast and endlessly fascinating! For example, the brightest star in the constellation of Gemini, Pollux, is 33 light-years away. The light we see from Pollux today left the star in 1991, the same year Latvia regained its independence. At that time, many of today's VIRAC scientists and engineers were still in kindergarten or had not yet been born. VIRAC itself was founded in 1994, inheriting the large 32- and 16-meter diameter antennas from the Soviet Army. VIRAC made a huge leap forward, renovating these antennas until 2015. In 2019, VIRAC took another major step forward, adding a football-field-sized LOFAR antenna array. Today, VIRAC is expanding into the fields of defense and deep space communications. All of this progress has been achieved thanks to the selfless and dedicated work of the VIRAC team, as well as the support of the Ventspils City Municipality and the trust of the Latvian Government in the VIRAC team. So much has happened during the 33-year journey of light from Pollux to Earth. Want to find Pollux... or a black hole? Just ask the VIRAC researchers!"

Today, the Irbene antenna site is connected to international radio telescope networks. Together with their international colleagues, VIRAC scientists are conducting research on a wide range of topics, from the near-Earth ionosphere, the Sun, and Jupiter, to the farthest reaches of space where star formation occurs, as well as active galactic nuclei, pulsar, maser  and other cosmic phenomena observations are being carried out. These studies are based on data collected by the Irbene antenna infrastructure, yet some rely on theoretical and numerical calculations or data from other telescopes, sensors and networks.

The Irbene antenna site is truly unique: Extremely low RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) levels, providing cleaner data for scientific research. The largest radio telescope in Northern Europe — the 32-meter RT-32. The presence of multiple radio telescopes at a single location, enabling local interferometric measurements and simultaneous observations in multiple frequency bands and other advantages.


Looking to the future, VIRAC aims to connect the large aperture antennas to an international deep space communications network, marking a significant milestone in creating synergies between radio astronomy and space communication industry. The first communication sessions with Lunar space probes and relays  are eagerly anticipated. With its world-class infrastructure and dedicated team, VIRAC holds enormous potential for further development. However, the next generation of scientists and engineers will be crucial to realizing this potential in the coming decades. Training and supporting these future experts is a top priority.

As VUAS Rector Andris Vaivads emphasizes:

"Through Irbene to the stars!"




Mārcis Donerblics, Director of VIRAC, shared his reflections on the center's 30-year journey:


"Looking back at the past 30 years of VIRAC, starting from July 19, 1994, when Latvia took over the Irbene antenna complex and, a few days later, founded the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre, I am amazed by the many challenges and milestones that has been faced to transform the antenna site in a globally competitive facility it is today! From taking over, protecting, and maintaining the site, to building utilities, restoring antenna pointing capabilities, renovating, developing, and becoming members of the European VLBI Network (EVN), we have come a long way. We established the LOFAR station, collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA), and built a partnership with the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). None of this would have been possible without external support, but, just as importantly, it was the selfless dedication and creativity of our colleagues that allowed us to make the Irbene antenna site based services and science accessible to the Latvian, Baltic, Nordic, European, and global communities. These efforts have also ensured that future generations will have access to these valuable instruments here in Latvia. For all of this, I am immensely grateful and proud."


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Students Develop Solutions for Creating a More Diverse and Inclusive Environment at VUAS

By Rota Rulle • December 16, 2024
As part of the COLOURS project, an IMAGINE/IDEATE workshop was organized at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, where students applied design thinking principles to address equality, diversity, and inclusion issues within the university environment. This two-day workshop provided an opportunity for participants to analyze existing challenges and develop practical solutions they could implement themselves. During the workshop, students worked in groups, first identifying the challenges they face in their daily lives. They then focused on creating solutions using creative methods. Importantly, the proposed solutions had to be realistically implementable by the students themselves, fostering their responsibility for shaping the environment and driving positive changes. At the end of the workshop, students presented their ideas, and the best proposals were recognized. The winning group, composed of first-year students from the professional bachelor’s program in Intercultural Communication, proposed organizing events to help students integrate into their new environment and find like-minded peers. These events aim to provide practical support to young people facing challenges in adapting to a new social and academic setting. The authors emphasized that such events would foster a positive and inclusive experience, promoting mutual support among students. The workshop’s outcomes demonstrate that by encouraging active student participation and creative approaches, sustainable changes can be achieved in their daily lives. This workshop is part of the COLOURS project, which aims to promote the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion in educational institutions.

Rafael Martin Calvo presented the translation of Latvian literature into Spanish

By Rota Rulle • December 12, 2024
On 10 December, the VUAS Library invited students to a meeting with Rafael Martín Calvo, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Translation Studies. He talked about how a writer's work is presented to publishers in another country before it is translated, what to do when only a few Latvians know a certain Latvian word, how many hours it takes to translate a novel and when is the best time to learn a foreign language. He also talked about participation in publishers' events, book fairs and book presentations in different countries. The students also had the opportunity to see translations of Nora Ikstena, Albert Bell, Guntis Berelis and other writers already published and to learn more about each of them. R. Martin Calvo also talked about his dream projects and revealed some of the works he is currently involved in. Thank you to the VUAS Library for hosting the event!

A Forum on Higher Education and Workforce in the Region was Held

By Rota Rulle • December 6, 2024
CoLab ""Higher Education and Workforce in the Region" held at the VIZIUM Science Center brought together academic staff, students, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and other members of the community. The discussions focused on analyzing current challenges and exploring innovative solutions to ensure that new specialists are well-prepared to meet the demands of today’s labor market. Opening the event, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) Rector Andris Vaivads highlighted the increasing demand for highly qualified specialists in the coming years, referencing forecasts from the Ministry of Economics. He called for closer collaboration between universities, businesses, municipalities, and society to adapt educational programs to the real needs of the labor market. Dr. Annette Klinkert, Executive Director of the COLOURS project, and Dace Štefenberga, VeA’s COLOURS Content Manager, shared insights on the European University Alliance and its benefits for the region. Austris Galindoms, Head of the Economics and Procurement Department at Ventspils City Council, emphasized the municipality’s role in fostering cooperation between education and the labor market. Meanwhile, Sandrine Labory from the University of Ferrara presented Italy’s experience in the Emilia-Romagna region. Other participants included Baiba Kūma, Head of the Kurzeme Planning Region’s Business Center, and Gvido Grinbergs from the Business Support and Digital Innovation Center at Ventspils High Technology Park, who stressed the importance of developing digital skills in the workforce. Raita Rollande, Head of TDL School, a subsidiary of TestDevLab, shared her experience collaborating with higher education institutions to prepare new specialists. Additionally, Maksims Kovalenko, Production Director at Immer Digital, highlighted workforce challenges in the industry. The forum concluded with a panel discussion on the impact of higher education on local economic development and regional growth. The panel featured business representative Raita Rollande, Ventspils City Council Deputy Executive Director Egons Spalāns, VeA Rector Andris Vaivads, and student Kārlis Andrejs Krūmiņš.

Master's student in Translation Adrija Enrika Ēdele participated in Citizens' Language Days in Luxembourg

By Rota Rulle • December 6, 2024
On 3 and 4 of December, the European Parliament's service hosted the third edition of the Citizens' Language Days, a two-day event dedicated to exploring the power of clear language in fostering transparency and democratic participation. The event, organised in Luxembourg, was also attended by students from the translation programmes of the universities included in the EMT (European Master in Translation) network. One student represented each EU language. Latvia and the Latvian language were represented by Adrija Enrika Ēdele, a student of the Master's programme in Translation at VUAS. The students were invited to the European Parliament (EP) in Luxembourg, where most of the staff of the EP Directorate-General for Translation work. In addition to workshops and conferences, the students had the opportunity to get to know the quarter where the European Parliament is located and the work of DG Translation. "During the event, we were able to listen to conferences, workshops and speeches in different EU languages. It was particularly important that we were present at the presentation of the Citizens' Language Guidelines, which are an important tool for language professionals, translators and others interested in the production and adaptation of texts into plain language," says Adrija. It should be noted that the guidelines are derived from the ISO standard on plain language. The guidelines are available in all 24 EU languages and include not only text, but also video and audio material.

Participation of representatives of the Faculty of Translation Studies of VUAS in the conference The Word: Aspects of Research

By Rota Rulle • December 2, 2024
On November 28–29, in Liepāja, associate professor and researcher Silga Sviķe, associate professor and senior researcher Jānis Veckrācis and lecturer, PhD candidate Aiga Bādere participated in the international conference The Word: Aspects of Research organised by RTU Liepāja. The event, which brought together researchers and language experts from the Baltic States and was diverse in its presentations, included two days of scientific discussions. The first day's evening dinner has become a tradition of the conference which, alongside the conference sessions, provides an excellent opportunity for professionals in the humanities to socialize and discuss current issues in the field. During the opening session of the Conference Silga Sviķe presented an emotionally inspiring memorial paper Juris Baldunčiks (1950-2022): Parallel Lines and Crossing Points of His Life, Research and Legacy ; later on Aiga Bādere presented her research paper Searching for Post-Editing Terms in Latvian , and Jānis Veckrācis – his research paper Terminological Discourse of History and the History of Some Basic History Terms in Latvian.

Master's students in Translation Studies take part in a virtual visit to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation

By Rota Rulle • November 28, 2024
On 22 November, the European Commission organised a virtual visit to the Directorate-General for Translation, which was also attended by MA students of the Faculty of Translation Studies of the VUAS. The event was well attended (around 800 participants) and gave our translation students the opportunity to learn all about the work of translators and interpreters in DG Translation and other EU institutions. The event organisers gave an overview of the volume of documents translated in the EU institutions and explained the computer-aided, machine translation and artificial intelligence tools used by translators in the EU institutions. Our students had a one-to-one meeting with translators from the Latvian Translation Unit, where they could get answers to all their questions about eligibility requirements, application prerequisites and how to apply for a traineeship or a job in the EU institution.
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