Switzerland is everywhere in space research

2020-09-06 08:05:53

(MENAFN- Swissinfo)

The CHEOPS space telescope takes off from Kourou, Guyana, onboard a Soyuz rocket. ESA / Julio Aprea

On December 18, 2019, the space telescope CHEOPS launched aboard a Soyuz rocket from Kourou in Guyana. It was the first Swiss mission in tandem with the European Space Agency. But Swiss technology already had a strong presence in space and aboard American, Russian, Chinese and Japanese probes.

This content was published on September 6, 2020 - 11:00 September 6, 2020 - 11:00 Marc-André Miserez

After some years in the regional print and broadcast media in French Switzerland, in 2000 I joined Radio Swiss International, which then became swissinfo.ch. Since then I have been writing (and producing short videos) on a variety of subjects, from politics to business, and including culture and science.

More about the author | French Department

See in other languages: 3

Deutsch

(de) Kleine Schweiz omnipräsent in den Endlosschlaufen des Alls
Italiano

(it) La Svizzera è ovunque nello spazio
Français

(fr) La Suisse est partout dans l'espace

Whether it's on Mars with the Europeans, the Americans or the Chinese, on the Moon with the Russians, on satellites orbiting Jupiter, on comets or peering into the infinite, Swiss technology is everywhere in space. A new report by the Academy of Natural Sciences sums this all up.

It highlights 60 instruments deployed to 50 different space missions. This impressive list is collated in the catalogue: 'Space Research in Switzerland 2018-2020'. The document was released ahead of January's 43rd annual COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) assembly in Sydney, Australia.

Leafing through the 100 or so pages of the report, it is soon evident that only major missions like the CHEOPS space telescope, the comet hunter Rosetta or the solar observatory Solar Orbiter have been widely covered in the media. Less has been written about the European Theseus, Japanese XRISM or Chinese eXTP probes, which all incorporate Swiss technology.

MENAFN0609202002100000ID1100755293

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.