Astronaut training in Iceland – get ready to discover new worlds

Perhaps the most exciting developments in the world today is the renaissance of space travel. One offshoot of this is the company Space Nation. Its mission is to making space and astronaut experiences accessible to everybody. The company is offering those who want to break free of Earth, space training in Iceland. Iceland has been used for astronaut training before. The crew that was first to land on the moon prepared for their mission here.

Hjörtur Smárason is the Chief Communications Officer of Space Nation.

Hey Hjörtur, thank you so much for taking the time for this interview. Can you please give us a little background on yourself and Space Nation

Space Nation is a company that has developed an astronaut training program together with NASA and a company called Axiom Space, which is developing the first commercial space station and orbiting hotel. I am currently developing the company’s astronaut training expeditions here in Iceland.  I grew up in the Icelandic wilderness and know the country well. Through the years I have worked with destinations around the world on their development, branding and communications strategies. Through a series of unexpected turns, this has landed me in this role at Space Nation.

What kind of astronaut training in Iceland will you offer?

Astronaut training for everyone, not only for becoming astronauts. The astronaut training expeditions we are currently offering in Iceland are challenging. They are set in the Icelandic wilderness and we go through a variety of missions and challenges. We focus on the importance of planning, communications, risk assessment, crisis management, survival and search and rescue to name a few. This means the training you get is top-level leadership training. The training will equip the participants to take on unexpected tasks and navigate into an unknown and rapidly changing future.

Learn vital skills

AI will disrupt the work market. Innovation will go faster than ever before. Willingness to learn,  ability to adapt and stay focused when complexity increases are the most important skills an employee can have. These skills are at the center of our training program.

The astronaut training program is broken down into several different expeditions. You can choose to do a single one, a pair or the entire program. Each expedition has a different location and requires a different skillset. For each expedition, we bring in world-class experts within their field to conduct parts of the training. And on our inhouse team, we have our own experts. They including our CEO who used to give leadership training in the Finnish military and our own former NASA astronaut Gregory “Box” Johnson who has spent over 30 days in space and on the ISS and was the last pilot of the Endeavour space shuttle. So you will be in good company.

Why have you chosen Iceland for space training?

The Apollo astronauts came to Iceland to train before going to the Moon. As they have said themselves, this is where you find the landscape that best resembles the landscape of the Moon. That actually applies to Mars as well and both ESA and NASA are still sending missions to Iceland to train, test and experiment in extra-terrestrial environments.

Moon Landing Expedition – go in the footsteps of NASA legends

Our two main expeditions will be in Iceland in 2020, each with a certain theme. One of them, our Moon Landing Expedition takes place in the same place as the Apollo astronauts trained around Askja and the Ódáðahraun lava field. This is part of Europe’s largest desert. In this expedition, we focus on geology and field training, understanding terrains and the challenges of remote control, communications, crisis management and search and rescue. You will also learn team development and leadership which is part of every expedition. Some of the missions are the exact same as the Apollo astronauts did before going to the Moon.

Interstellar Expedition set in Vatnajökull glacier

The other expedition is our Interstellar Expedition and takes place in Vatnajökull glacier where we focus on extreme environment adaptation. This expedition is run together with mountaineer expert Vilborg Arna Gissurardóttir from Tindar Travel who has done the seven summits and was the first woman, and is still the only, to go solo to the South Pole and a summit above 8.000 meters. We have also partnered with Arctic Trucks who is the lead developer of extreme terrain vehicles and has led a number of expeditions to both the South Pole and the North Pole, one of which readers might remember from the British TV show Top Gear. In this expedition we pay particular attention to the different leadership styles of the polar explorers, in particular, Scott, Amundsen, and Shackleton, explore the concept of time, first principles thinking and importance of endurance, strategy, and execution.

How do I join a Space Nation astronaut training in Iceland?

Call me. Or send me a message. You will not find this in any tourist brochure or a booking engine. There is only a limited number of seats available. I encourage people to reach out to me through our website If they are interested in an out-of-this-world experience that equips them with tools and tactics to deal with our volatile future. We do also offer custom made experiences for corporations who want to treat their key employees with something unique and yet educational

Do you have favorite destinations or things to do here in Iceland?

As I have been living abroad for years I have this need to come regularly back to Iceland to recharge. While there may be places out in the world that are just as beautiful there is some raw energy in the Icelandic landscape. I have not found this elsewhere. This you can find almost anywhere in Iceland but for me personally Arnarfjordur is always a special place. That is the fjord where I grew up, with high surrounding mountains, magnificent waterfalls, geothermal pools, beautiful hikes, and even sea monsters. And few tourists, which I like. So don’t go there.

For more information about how to join the astronaut training expeditions, contact Hjörtur at hjortur@spacenation.org.