The dawn of a new Era
Decades of Science aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have proven the value of microgravity for research, development and production. With the end of the International Space Station in 2030, a new era will begin. Already today low Earth orbit is partially privatized; new technologies enable access to space at significantly lower transport costs than in the days when access to Low Earth Orbit was largely reserved for government agencies. Innovative companies such as SpaceX with new business models are entering the rapidly growing space economy. In the wake of this revolution, known as ‘New Space,’ a fleet of private stations, including the Starlab Space Station, Orbital Reef and the Axiom Space Station, will replace the ISS and provide capacity for science and production, e.g. in the field of biotechnology. These new opportunities will drive the use of Low Earth Orbit in the future. The World Economic Forum forecasts growth in the space economy from $630 billion in 2023 to $1.8 trillion in 2035. This average annual growth of 9% far exceeds global gross domestic product and demonstrates the enormous potential of this economic sector.
UZH Space Hub, the innovation platform for Space and Aviation-topics at the University of Zurich
Belonging toUZH Space, the UZH Space Hub is the platform that promotes innovation in the space-and aviation sector at the UZH by connecting research to industry and promoting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations.
It was founded in 2018 by the University of Zurich as innovation cluster for Space and Aviation.
The two UZH spin-offs askEarth and Prometheus Life Technologies are rooting in the UZH Space Hub environment. Prometheus Life Technologies works on the production of high-quality human tissue in microgravity to improve drug development and testing and regenerative medicine. askEarth is making Earth observation insights available to the public.
Today the UZH Space Hub is domiciled in Hangar 4, a converted aircraft hangar at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf. Here, one of Europe's largest innovation platforms is being created, profiting from the proximity of leading academic institutions, the Zurich area and direct access to the runway and airfield infrastructure. Industry and academia are being networked here, and teams from the University of Zurich and various companies are already working together in science and technology development.
CSA - a joint umbrella and transatlantic link in the space economy
The University of Zurich, and therefore UZH Space and the UZH Space Hub is a partner of the Center of Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA). The CSA is a non-profit federal foundation where leading institutions from Switzerland and Liechtenstein merge their space expertise to advance the New Space Economy through a unified approach. By combining their respective space and aviation related resources, expertise, and infrastructure, added value is created for economy, research, and education.
In December 2024, Starlab Space, an international joint venture between Airbus, Voyager Space, Mitsubishi and MDA Space, signed an MoU with the CSA and the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich foundation (IPZ). In this MoU, Starlab expresses its intention to operate its Science Ground Module from the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, rendering the Greater Zurich Area the European hub of the global Starlab network.
Three more landmark agreements position Switzerland and Liechtenstein as a transatlantic link in the emerging space economy: Together with Space Florida – the aerospace finance and development authority of the US State of Florida- a hub for commerce, logistics, research, innovation, and education between Florida and Switzerland and Liechtenstein should be establish, serving the European region. Furthermore, the University of Florida and its vast Space and Space Life Science expertise plans to collaborate with CSA, and an MOU with the Voyager Technologies Institute for Space, Technology and Advancement (VISTA) fosters collaboration and strengthen ties between the United States, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein in advancing the space economy.
Parabolic Flights for testing and proof of principle demonstrations in microgravity
The more science and production are carried out on private space stations, the greater the need for platforms where technologies can be tested in zero gravity before they are finally used in Low Earth Orbit. Parabolic flights offer such an opportunity. They are cost-effective and provide 20 seconds of zero gravity for technology testing and proof-of-principle demonstrations.
Since 2015, the UZH Space Hub, together with the Swiss Skylab Foundation, has been offering microgravity flights with the Swiss Parabolic Flight Programme. These flights take off from Dübendorf Airfield and are privately funded. They enable scientists to conduct experiments and test flight infrastructure. More than 30 experiments from the University of Zurich and other institutions in Switzerland and other countries have been conducted on Swiss Parabolic Flights. The topics cover various disciplines, including astrophysics, gravitational biology, robotics and medicine. The proximity to the biolab at Hangar 4 and its infrastructure at the Innovation Park Zurich and the Dübendorf Airport plays a decisive role in the feasibility of the experiments.
Need access to micro-, moon-, mars- or hyper gravity? Interested in a domicile for your Startup from the fields of space and aviation? Do you need to rent space in a high-quality biolab for your development work?
Contact us per mail to svantje.tauber@uzh.ch
Important Notice:
Please find the activities and expertise of the UZH research community of the fields of Astrophysics, Space Life Sciences, Earth Observation, Robotics and more under UZH Space. This platform connects and integrates all UZH space-related activities under a shared umbrella. UZH Space Hub, as part of UZH Space refers to the activities and offers at the University of Zurich's Hangar 4 at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf.