On October 26, 27 and 28, the fifth edition of the VLBI School for Geodesy and Astrometry, organized by the International VLBI Service (IVS), was held at the Chalmers University of Technology (Göteborg, Sweden). This formative event brought together more than 40 participants and numerous international experts, being an essential forum for learning and knowledge exchange in the field of very long-baseline interferometry (VLBI).

On behalf of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), three members of the RAEGE Analysis Group attended. The RAEGE Analysis Group is a research team associated with the RAEGE (Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations), dedicated to processing and analysing geodetic and geodynamic data collected from the network’s stations, and to promote the research based on RAEGE data. The group consists of staff from the IGN, the Yebes and Santa Maria observatories, and researchers from the University of Alicante.

This training event joined the leading scientists in the VLBI field from leading institutions such as NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (USA), the University of Tasmania (Australia) or ETH Zurich (Switzerland), as well as the hosts of the Chalmers University of Technology. One of the days included a visit to the Onsala Space Observatory, where attendees were able to see first-hand the facilities and equipment, as well as attend toa live VLBI observation.

During the sessions, key topics for the development of this technique were addressed, such as the characteristics of the radio sources and celestial bodies observed, the scheduling of the sessions, the calibration of the observation instruments, the processing and correlation of the signals received, or the analysis of the observed data. These contents, combining theory and practice, encouraged the exchange of experiences between professionals and students.

RAEGE’s participation in this school underlines the importance of international cooperation in a technique as collaborative as VLBI, where coordination between stations, analysis centers and agencies is key to ensuring the success of observation programs and the quality of derived products. This type of initiative strengthens ties between institutions and promotes future joint lines of research, ensuring a fruitful and efficient relationship between IVS members. Continuous training and international collaboration are pillars to advance in Astronomy and Space Geodesy that will allow us to respond to global challenges related to climate change, terrestrial dynamics and the improvement of reference systems.