Country dossier · CHE

Switzerland

Advanced space-faring nation

A sourced snapshot of Switzerland's posture in space — capability, institutions, orbital assets, law and people. Every figure carries its primary source; gaps are shown honestly, never filled with invented data.

Open Switzerland in the interactive workspace →

Capability tier

Advanced space-faring nation

Launches to orbit from its own territory: noLaunch sites on record: 0Nationals who have flown: 2

Source: ALL IN SPACE capability ladder · see methodology

Space agency

Swiss Space Office (SSO/SERI)

National space agency · established 1998 · two-source verified

Source: Swiss Space Office

Satellites (owner state)

13

Counted from the GCAT May 2026 snapshot. The interactive workspace shows a live CelesTrak figure, which uses different owner-attribution rules and will differ.

Source: GCAT · General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell) · May 2026 snapshot

Ground stations

8

Source: ALL IN SPACE curated ground-station dataset (operator-sourced)

Space budget

$514M

Developing spender · 2024

Source: OECD · GBARD by socio-economic objective

National strategy

Schweizer Weltraumpolitik 2023 (Swiss Space Policy 2023) (2023)

Federal Council policy defining strategic priorities, sustainability and a forthcoming national space law

Source: Published national space strategies and policies

International space law

InstrumentStatus
Outer Space Treaty 1967Ratified
Rescue Agreement 1968Ratified
Liability Convention 1972Ratified
Registration Convention 1975Ratified
Moon Agreement 1979Not a party
Artemis Accords 2020Signatory (2024-04-15)

Source: Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space (1 January 2026)

Launch sites

No launch infrastructure.

Source: National launch site roster · ALL IN SPACE compilation

Astronauts

  • Claude NicollierESA / NASA · first flight 1992 · First Swiss in space; serviced Hubble Space Telescope
  • Marco SieberESA · first flight 2022 · Selected 2022; not yet flown

Source: Astronaut biographies

Milestones

  • 1992First national in space
  • 1998Swiss Space Office (SSO/SERI) established

Notable missions and contributions

  • ESA founding member since 1975
  • CHEOPS exoplanet mission (2019) — Swiss-led
  • ClearSpace-1 debris removal (~2026) — EPFL
  • Solar Orbiter instruments (Univ. Bern)
  • Swiss solar wind collector on Apollo 11 (1969)
  • RUAG Space — Europe leading sat structures