Space industry in Switzerland

Swiss Space Office

Bern, Switzerland government

The Swiss Space Office (SSO), established in 1998 and based in Bern, Switzerland, functions as the national space agency coordinating Swiss space policy and serving as the primary point of contact for relations with the European Space Agency (ESA). Its core function is to represent Switzerland’s interests within the broader European space landscape and to ensure the effective participation of Swiss entities in ESA programs and initiatives. The SSO’s activities center around supporting and fostering the growth of both the Swiss space industry and scientific research endeavors related to space. While specific technologies developed *by* the SSO aren’t detailed in available information, its role implies a focus on enabling access to and facilitating the application of space technologies within Switzerland. This includes supporting the development of capabilities in areas relevant to ESA programs, likely encompassing satellite technology, Earth observation, and potentially robotics or advanced materials. Currently available information does not detail specific missions undertaken directly by the SSO, nor does it list individual customers. However, its function as a coordinating body suggests it supports a range of Swiss organizations – both commercial and academic – in accessing space-based resources and participating in international space projects. The SSO’s unique value proposition lies in its role as a national focal point for space activities, ensuring Switzerland maintains a strategic presence in the European and international space sectors. By coordinating policy, supporting industry, and facilitating research, the SSO aims to maximize the benefits of space technologies for the Swiss economy and scientific community.

TE Connectivity Space

Schaffhausen, Switzerland commercial

TE Connectivity Space, founded in 2007 and based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, is a focused business unit of TE Connectivity specializing in the design and manufacture of critical components for the space industry. The company concentrates on providing high-reliability interconnect, relay, and sensor solutions specifically engineered for the demanding environments of spacecraft and launch vehicles. Their product portfolio centers around space-qualified connectors, ensuring robust and dependable signal and power transmission in orbit and during launch. TE Connectivity Space differentiates itself through a commitment to high-reliability engineering and materials science. While specific technological details are not publicly available, the focus on “space-qualified” components suggests expertise in radiation hardening, vacuum compatibility, and thermal management – all crucial for long-duration space missions. The company leverages TE Connectivity’s broader materials science and manufacturing capabilities to deliver solutions meeting stringent aerospace standards. As a global aerospace and defense supplier, TE Connectivity Space serves a broad customer base within the satellite and launch provider sectors. While specific missions or customer names are not publicly disclosed, the company’s positioning indicates involvement in a range of space programs, contributing to the infrastructure supporting communications, Earth observation, and scientific exploration. TE Connectivity Space occupies a key position as a component supplier within the broader space ecosystem. By concentrating on highly reliable interconnect solutions, the company provides essential building blocks for mission-critical systems, contributing to the overall performance and longevity of spacecraft and launch vehicles.

Almatech

Lausanne, Switzerland commercial

Almatech, founded in 2009 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a space engineering SME specializing in the development of mission-critical hardware, particularly space mechanisms. The company provides comprehensive engineering services across the entire project lifecycle, from initial quotation through to post-delivery support. Almatech’s core competencies encompass a range of space applications including launchers, satellites, in-orbit servicing, and lunar systems. Key technological areas for Almatech include precision mechanisms, CFRP structures, thermal systems, and actuation systems for thrust vectoring and grid fins. Notably, the company has developed landing leg systems for European launcher companies and is actively involved in in-orbit servicing technologies, currently partnering on the development of a satellite coupling gripper for orbit transfer. Almatech also possesses expertise in ultra-stable structures and calibration mechanisms for space science missions, having delivered the complete Optical Train Assembly for the CHEOPS exoplanet characterization satellite. To date, Almatech has completed over 115 space projects and supported more than 20 space missions, including contributions to ESA’s Solar Orbiter and CHEOPS missions. Beyond traditional space applications, the company is leveraging its expertise in advanced technologies to develop innovative solutions like ZESST, a zero-emission hydrofoiler utilizing space technology transfer. Almatech positions itself as a provider of high-precision, end-to-end engineering solutions for a diverse range of space and related applications, offering both bespoke and serial developments with a commitment to quality and long-term support.

Astrocast

Chavannes-près-Renens, Switzerland commercial

Astrocast SA is a Swiss satellite IoT company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, operating a constellation of nanosatellites to provide global machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity for remote and maritime assets beyond cellular coverage. The company's network uses LoRaWAN-based protocols adapted for non-terrestrial networks (NTN), enabling ultra-low-power end devices to communicate with Astrocast satellites during orbital passes — a store-and-forward architecture suited for applications where data latency of hours is acceptable but coverage is paramount. Astrocast's constellation launched initial pathfinder satellites aboard ESA's Vega-C rocket and subsequent platforms via SpaceX rideshare, targeting a 100+ satellite network at approximately 550 km LEO. The company's technology stack includes an Astrocast-developed chip module enabling sub-milliwatt average current draw for IoT sensor nodes, making solar-powered deployment viable for multi-year field deployments in the most remote locations on Earth. Primary markets include maritime vessel tracking (shipping containers, fishing fleets), environmental monitoring (water level sensors, weather stations), precision agriculture (soil sensors across large farms), and cold chain logistics in regions without cellular infrastructure. The company competes with Lacuna Space (UK, similar LoRa satellite IoT approach), Semtech's NTN LoRa initiatives, and Globalstar's SPOT messaging services. Astrocast raised approximately $10M in Series A funding and partnered with Satcom Direct and other distribution partners to expand its global IoT service footprint.

Beyond Gravity

Zurich, Switzerland commercial

Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) is a major European space components and systems manufacturer founded in 2022 as an independent company following its spinout from Swiss defense conglomerate RUAG Group, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, with manufacturing facilities in Sweden, Austria, Germany, Finland, and the United States — producing structural components, precision mechanisms, electronics, and thermal products for satellites and launch vehicles across European and global space programs. The company's heritage in space manufacturing traces to the 1960s through RUAG's space division, which developed expertise in precision mechanical and composite systems for European space programs. Beyond Gravity manufactures the composite payload fairings for European launch vehicles including Vega and Ariane rockets at its Linköping, Sweden facility — the aerodynamic nose cones protecting satellites from aerodynamic and thermal loads during ascent through the atmosphere before being jettisoned in flight. Fairing production for Ariane 6 and other vehicles represents a critical, hard-to-replace position in the European launch vehicle supply chain. Additional product lines include: satellite structural panels and composite bus structures (primary and secondary), radiation-hardened electronics and avionics units for satellite data handling and power conditioning, precision deployment mechanisms (antenna and solar array deployment systems, separation systems, hinges, and actuators), and thermal management hardware (heat pipes, multilayer insulation blankets). The company serves ESA, Airbus Defence & Space, Thales Alenia Space, and launch vehicle prime contractors as a Tier-1 European space industrial supplier. Beyond Gravity competes with Tesat-Spacecom, MT Aerospace, and Ruag Ammotec internationally for European satellite and launch program content.

CYSEC

Lausanne, Switzerland commercial

CYSEC is a Lausanne, Switzerland-based cybersecurity company founded in 2018 specializing in hardware-rooted security solutions and post-quantum cryptography specifically designed for the space industry's unique threat environment — providing secure computing platforms, cryptographic key management systems, and communication security products for satellite command and control, satellite data links, and space system ground segment infrastructure. Space systems face a distinctive cybersecurity challenge: satellites cannot be physically patched or hardware-updated once launched, command link intrusion can result in catastrophic mission loss or weaponization of the spacecraft, and the RF communications links used for satellite TT&C are inherently broadcast and interceptable over wide geographic areas. Traditional IT security approaches (frequent software updates, hardware replacement, centralized patch management) do not apply in the space environment where each spacecraft must be secured for a 10-15 year operational lifetime against threats that will evolve significantly over that period. CYSEC's core product is the ARCA Trusted Computing Platform — a radiation-tolerant secure processor module that provides hardware-rooted trust anchors, secure boot attestation, cryptographic key generation and storage in hardware security modules (HSMs), and authenticated encryption for satellite command uplinks and data downlinks. The hardware security module approach means cryptographic keys are generated and never leave the secure hardware boundary, preventing key extraction even if the satellite's onboard computer is compromised through software vulnerabilities. Post-quantum cryptography implementation is central to CYSEC's product roadmap: current asymmetric encryption (RSA, ECC) used for satellite command authentication is vulnerable to quantum computer attacks using Shor's algorithm, and satellites being designed today will still be operational when sufficiently powerful quantum computers may exist. CYSEC implements NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms (CRYSTALS-Kyber for key encapsulation, CRYSTALS-Dilithium for digital signatures) in its hardware security modules, providing forward security for satellite command systems against future quantum threats. CYSEC has received ESA funding through OSIP (Open Space Innovation Platform) and commercial contracts for European satellite programs. The company competes with traditional defense cryptography suppliers (Thales, L3Harris, Rohde & Schwarz) and emerging space security specialists (Axiom Space/NASA security frameworks) in the space cybersecurity niche. The EU's NIS2 Directive and growing regulatory focus on space infrastructure protection are expanding the addressable market.