Switzerland unveils 2023 space strategy

A load of rubbish: an ESA computer-generated picture of space junk left behind by satellite missions. Keystone / Esa

The government wants to safeguard the Swiss space research sector while promoting a “sustainable and responsible” universe.

Adopting the Federal Space Policy 2023External link on Wednesday, the government said the goal was to take account of the “rapid developments in and increasing importance of outer space”.

It mentioned the growing role of satellite-based applications in communication, digitalisation, navigation, weather forecasting, climate analysis, security and defence, as well as the rising number of players in the space domain in Switzerland and abroad.

+ Read more: In space exploration, Switzerland punches above its weight

The strategy is based on three strands: “access and resiliency” (using Swiss membership in international bodies to push national interests and promote sustainability), “competitiveness and relevance” (boosting the already strong standing of the Swiss space research and innovation sector), and “partnership and reliability” (strengthening a rules-based multilateral governance of space).

The government specifically mentioned Swiss participation in the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), various UN bodies, and the European Space Agency (ESA), of which it is a member.

In November, Switzerland pledged a contribution to the ESA budget of CHF600 million ($667 million) for the next three years. The total budget of the 22-nation body for the period is CHF16.5 billion.

+ Meet Switzerland’s next man in space

Also in November, 33-year-old Marco Sieber was chosen as part of an elite crop of “career astronauts” to be trained up at the ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany – all going well, he will become only the second Swiss astronaut in history.