The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) is a institute for space science research located in Uppsala, Sweden. It was founded in 1957 by Lennart Lindegren and Bengt Strömgren. The institute is affiliated with the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University.
IRF conducts research within space physics, atmospheric physics and terrestrial magnetism. The research is done both through theoretical work and observational studies using ground-based instrumentation, balloons, rockets and satellites. IRF operates several facilities including the EISCAT Svalbard Radar and the Esrange Space Center near Kiruna in northern Sweden.
IRF was one of the first institutes to develop instrumentation for sounding rockets, which led to development of instruments now used on many different types of spacecraft. IRF scientists were also among the first to use radar to study auroras and ionospheric irregularities from ground based stations. Today, IRF continues to be at forefront of developing new instrumentation and carrying out innovative science using existing facilities.
Lennart Lindegren is considered one of the founders of modern astrophysics. He developed groundbreaking methods while working on his PhD at Lund Observatory in the late 1940s that are still used today to determine stellar positions with great accuracy. This work laid the foundation for subsequent development of astrometry as a powerful tool for probing the structure and evolution of our Galaxy. In 1957 he co-founded IRF with Bengt Strömgren, where he remained until his retirement in 1985. During his time at IRF he continued to make important contributions to astrophysics, particularly in the field of star formation – an area that remains active within IRF today