Joint Press Release of the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich
October 1, 2025
New Space Economy: Zurich and Baden-Württemberg Explore Cooperation
Dübendorf/Zurich, October 1, 2025 – Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, and Minister for Education and Research Petra Olschowski today visited the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA) at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich with a high-ranking delegation. The visit builds on Baden-Württemberg’s aerospace strategy and aims to strengthen collaboration in education and research while identifying potential cooperation opportunities in space and aviation.
The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA) and the Innovation Park Zurich welcomed top-level guests from Germany today: Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann and Education and Research Minister Petra Olschowski. The visit followed earlier exchanges and memorandums of understanding in the fields of education and business. At the Innovation Park Zurich, future developments in low Earth orbit and space activities were a central focus. The background is the agreement signed in December 2024 between CSA, the Innovation Park Zurich, and Starlab GmbH. Starting in 2029, Starlab plans to operate a commercial space station in low Earth orbit as a successor to the ISS. The Science Ground Module of the station will be operated out of the Innovation Park Zurich.
Kretschmann was accompanied by a business and academic delegation including representatives of various ministries, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Starlab, the University of Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Airbus Space and Defence, and Starlab. On the Swiss side, participants included Thales Alenia Space, Beyond Gravity, Apco, CSA, the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, and startups such as Prometheus Life Technologies.
The event at the Innovation Park featured a tour of the University of Zurich’s Space Hub hangar as well as a roundtable on the New Space Economy. Alongside Starlab, the discussions highlighted initiatives in education, a student hackathon, and the European Ariane 6 rocket, which secures Europe’s sovereign access to space. In Lampoldshausen, Baden-Württemberg, the rocket’s upper-stage engines are developed and tested, enabling precise satellite deployment in orbit. Switzerland contributes, for example, the payload fairing that protects satellites in space.
“Since their very beginnings, aviation and spaceflight have been true innovation drivers for research, the economy, and society. THE aerospace LÄND, Baden-Württemberg is home to one of Europe’s largest aerospace faculties at the University of Stuttgart and is among Europe’s leading space regions. Together with our Swiss partners, we want to explore new opportunities for cooperation and jointly seize the growth potential of the space economy across borders. At a hackathon, future aerospace engineers are already working on how to leverage the opportunities of a laboratory in low Earth orbit for research. Comparable projects have delivered promising results. We need such skilled professionals, and we want to further deepen cooperation between our universities in education and research,” said Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann.
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Stark, CSA Foundation Board Member and Vice President Research at the University of Zurich, emphasized: “Through CSA, the Innovation Park Zurich, the Dübendorf military airfield, and our agreements with strong American space partners, the Greater Zurich Area offers access to a unique space ecosystem for the entire German-speaking and European region.”
Peter E. Bodmer, President of the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich Foundation, added: “Today’s visit strengthens Zurich and the Innovation Park as an infrastructure hub and gateway for aerospace in Central Europe.”
The visit aims to further explore already identified cooperation interests between Zurich and Baden-Württemberg and to identify additional scientific and industrial collaboration opportunities in aerospace applications
.
Contacts CH:
CSA
Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Ullrich, Chairman Director CSA, Director UZH Space Hub,
oliver.ullrich@uzh.ch
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Stark, CSA Foundation Board Member, Vice President Research UZH,
vp@research.uzh.ch
Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich Foundation
Peter Bodmer, President of the Foundation Board,
peter.bodmer@bekaglobal.com
Contact DE:
Judith Hufnagel, Press Officer, judith.hufnagel@stm.bwl.de
The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA, www.spacevalley.ch) acts as a competence center for research, education, and international cooperation in aerospace. It plays a key role in coordinating the strategic development of the Swiss space sector with a focus on commercialization and global partnerships. CSA originated from the University of Zurich’s Space Hub (founded in 2018) and represents its systematic expansion to additional partners from academia, government, the military, and industry. CSA partners include: University of Zurich (UZH), Empa, University of St. Gallen (HSG), Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein (UFL), Swiss Air Force’s Aeromedical Institute (FAI), Swiss SkyLab, Air Force Center, Office of Economy of the Canton of Zurich, and the Communications Office of the Liechtenstein Government.
https://spacevalley.ch
The Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich is where the future is not just awaited but actively shaped. Located on the Dübendorf airfield site near the city of Zurich, a unique ecosystem for research, development, and innovation is emerging on more than 70 hectares. Here, science, business, and society work closely together to create real added value.
The location combines Swiss strengths such as high quality of life, stability, and legal certainty with the dynamism of international innovation. With direct access to the airfield for research and test flights, the Innovation Park Zurich offers ideal conditions for applied research, technology development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
In an urban environment, laboratories, workshops, offices, and test areas are being created – built for changemakers. Current focus areas are aerospace, robotics and mobility, as well as materials and product development. In these fields, Zurich and its partner regions offer excellent conditions. The Innovation Park Zurich is more than infrastructure – it is a vibrant place for bold ideas with impact.
www.innovationparkzurich.com
Dübendorf/Zurich, October 1, 2025 – Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, and Minister for Education and Research Petra Olschowski today visited the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA) at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich with a high-ranking delegation. The visit builds on Baden-Württemberg’s aerospace strategy and aims to strengthen collaboration in education and research while identifying potential cooperation opportunities in space and aviation.
The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA) and the Innovation Park Zurich welcomed top-level guests from Germany today: Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann and Education and Research Minister Petra Olschowski. The visit followed earlier exchanges and memorandums of understanding in the fields of education and business. At the Innovation Park Zurich, future developments in low Earth orbit and space activities were a central focus. The background is the agreement signed in December 2024 between CSA, the Innovation Park Zurich, and Starlab GmbH. Starting in 2029, Starlab plans to operate a commercial space station in low Earth orbit as a successor to the ISS. The Science Ground Module of the station will be operated out of the Innovation Park Zurich.
Kretschmann was accompanied by a business and academic delegation including representatives of various ministries, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Starlab, the University of Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Airbus Space and Defence, and Starlab. On the Swiss side, participants included Thales Alenia Space, Beyond Gravity, Apco, CSA, the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, and startups such as Prometheus Life Technologies.
The event at the Innovation Park featured a tour of the University of Zurich’s Space Hub hangar as well as a roundtable on the New Space Economy. Alongside Starlab, the discussions highlighted initiatives in education, a student hackathon, and the European Ariane 6 rocket, which secures Europe’s sovereign access to space. In Lampoldshausen, Baden-Württemberg, the rocket’s upper-stage engines are developed and tested, enabling precise satellite deployment in orbit. Switzerland contributes, for example, the payload fairing that protects satellites in space.
“Since their very beginnings, aviation and spaceflight have been true innovation drivers for research, the economy, and society. THE aerospace LÄND, Baden-Württemberg is home to one of Europe’s largest aerospace faculties at the University of Stuttgart and is among Europe’s leading space regions. Together with our Swiss partners, we want to explore new opportunities for cooperation and jointly seize the growth potential of the space economy across borders. At a hackathon, future aerospace engineers are already working on how to leverage the opportunities of a laboratory in low Earth orbit for research. Comparable projects have delivered promising results. We need such skilled professionals, and we want to further deepen cooperation between our universities in education and research,” said Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann.
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Stark, CSA Foundation Board Member and Vice President Research at the University of Zurich, emphasized: “Through CSA, the Innovation Park Zurich, the Dübendorf military airfield, and our agreements with strong American space partners, the Greater Zurich Area offers access to a unique space ecosystem for the entire German-speaking and European region.”
Peter E. Bodmer, President of the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich Foundation, added: “Today’s visit strengthens Zurich and the Innovation Park as an infrastructure hub and gateway for aerospace in Central Europe.”
The visit aims to further explore already identified cooperation interests between Zurich and Baden-Württemberg and to identify additional scientific and industrial collaboration opportunities in aerospace applications
.
Contacts CH:
CSA
Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Ullrich, Chairman Director CSA, Director UZH Space Hub,
oliver.ullrich@uzh.ch
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Stark, CSA Foundation Board Member, Vice President Research UZH,
vp@research.uzh.ch
Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich Foundation
Peter Bodmer, President of the Foundation Board,
peter.bodmer@bekaglobal.com
Contact DE:
Judith Hufnagel, Press Officer, judith.hufnagel@stm.bwl.de
The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA, www.spacevalley.ch) acts as a competence center for research, education, and international cooperation in aerospace. It plays a key role in coordinating the strategic development of the Swiss space sector with a focus on commercialization and global partnerships. CSA originated from the University of Zurich’s Space Hub (founded in 2018) and represents its systematic expansion to additional partners from academia, government, the military, and industry. CSA partners include: University of Zurich (UZH), Empa, University of St. Gallen (HSG), Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein (UFL), Swiss Air Force’s Aeromedical Institute (FAI), Swiss SkyLab, Air Force Center, Office of Economy of the Canton of Zurich, and the Communications Office of the Liechtenstein Government.
https://spacevalley.ch
The Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich is where the future is not just awaited but actively shaped. Located on the Dübendorf airfield site near the city of Zurich, a unique ecosystem for research, development, and innovation is emerging on more than 70 hectares. Here, science, business, and society work closely together to create real added value.
The location combines Swiss strengths such as high quality of life, stability, and legal certainty with the dynamism of international innovation. With direct access to the airfield for research and test flights, the Innovation Park Zurich offers ideal conditions for applied research, technology development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
In an urban environment, laboratories, workshops, offices, and test areas are being created – built for changemakers. Current focus areas are aerospace, robotics and mobility, as well as materials and product development. In these fields, Zurich and its partner regions offer excellent conditions. The Innovation Park Zurich is more than infrastructure – it is a vibrant place for bold ideas with impact.
www.innovationparkzurich.com
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