Wangen (OTE) – The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and
Liechtenstein (CSA)
is bringing together a fully integrated pathway at the Switzerland
Innovation Park Zurich from laboratory preparation through parabolic
flight test and qualification to low Earth orbit. With international
partners across Europe and the United States, the hub now provides a
practical route to orbital research and development aboard the
International Space Station (ISS) – including three initial free
competitive experiment slots provided jointly by the Center for Space
and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA) and Starlab Space –
and, in the future, to commercial space stations such as Starlab.
Starting on 7 September, with the first day of the 8th Swiss
Parabolic Flight Campaign, CSA and Starlab are launching a Zurich-to-
orbit pathway. The infrastructure of CSA and the University of Zurich
in Florida creates an operational bridge to the U.S. launch
ecosystem, serving both the current ISS era and the transition to
commercial space stations. Starlab, a U.S.-led, global joint venture
among Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA
Space, Palantir Technologies, and Space Applications Services, is
building a next-generation space station and ecosystem, designed to
provide a new industrial park in low Earth orbit after the retirement
of the ISS. Through the Starlab joint venture ecosystem, customers
can already conduct research aboard the ISS and establish a direct
pathway to Starlab once the station becomes operational.
By the end of 2030, Dübendorf airfield site close to Zurich is
set to develop this gateway into an established European end-to-end
system open to companies, start-ups, and research institutions. It
will integrate ground-based development, flight and microgravity
qualification, direct access to orbital missions, and a transatlantic
bridge for business and investment.