Swiss Space Systems

Swiss Space Systems Holding SA
Industry Aerospace
Founded 2012
Founder Pascal Jaussi
Headquarters Payerne, Switzerland
Key people
 Pascal Jaussi (CEO)
Claude Nicollier (Chairman)
Products Satellite launch/Space tourism
Website www.s-3.ch

Swiss Space Systems (S3) is a company which plans to provide orbital launches of miniaturized satellites and manned suborbital spaceflights. The company is based in Payerne in western Switzerland, near Payerne Air Base, where it plans to build a spaceport in 2015. Suborbital spaceplanes will be launched from an Airbus A300, giving the spacecraft more initial speed and altitude than if it were launched from the ground. The spacecraft, in turn, will release a disposable third stage.[1]

As of March 2013, the company planned to charge 10 million CHF (US$10.5 million) for a launch, using unmanned suborbital spaceplanes that could carry satellites weighing up to 250 kilograms (550 lb). The costs were expected to be reduced by the reusable nature of the spaceplane and launch facilities and by somewhat lower fuel-consumption than conventional systems.[2]

In 2013, S3 also hoped to develop a manned version of its suborbital spaceplane, in order to provide supersonic intercontinental flights to paying customers. According to CEO Pascal Jaussi: "Far from wishing to launch into the space tourism market, we want rather to establish a new mode of air travel based on our satellite launch model that will allow spaceports on different continents to be reached in an hour."[3]

As of March 2013, project partners included the European Space Agency, Dassault Aviation and the Von Karman Institute.[3][4]

According to Swiss state television, Swiss Space Systems is heavily indebted.[5] In 2016, Swiss Space Systems asked to delay bankruptcy procedures, as new funds from Singapore bank Axios Credit are expected. However, news tabloid Blick reported that Singapore authorities declared that Axios is not a licensed bank.[6][7]

History

S3 was founded in 2012 by Pascal Jaussi, a pilot and engineer, and joined by astronaut Claude Nicollier. The inauguration was held on 13 March 2013 at Payerne Airport. Initial plans call for the company to open its first spaceport by 2015 and begin test launches by 2015 (Airbus) and 2017 (shuttle).[8] More spaceports are planned for Malaysia, Morocco and North America.

SOAR

2013 plans called for S3 to develop a suborbital spaceplane named SOAR that would launch a microsat launch vehicle capable of putting a payload of up to 250 kilograms (550 lb) into low Earth orbit. As of October 2013, "S3 hopes to achieve horizontal launch with its small satellite deployment system by 2018".[9] In July 2014, S3 announced a partnership with North Bay, Ontario, Canada and Canadore College to start drop-test flights of a reduced-scale version the SOAR at Jack Garland Airport (CYYB).[10]

In addition to manned sub-orbital spaceflights, SOAR would also enable high-speed commercial flights (over Mach 3), allowing, for instance, passengers to reach Sydney from Geneva in only a few hours.[11]

Future launch projections

The first launch is scheduled for 2018, with CleanSpace One as payload.[12]

Spaceport plans

In October 2013, Swiss Space Systems signed a memorandum of understanding with Spaceport Colorado in the US to allow the spaceport to be a Swiss Space Systems' potential future North American launch site.[9] In March 2014, a subsidiary was opened at the Kennedy Space Center to allow Swiss Space Systems to use the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) for its operations.

Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) will be the first European operations center as S3 will launch satellites from there in 2018. This will also be the first European location where S3 will operate Zero-‐G flights.[13]

S3 ZeroG

S3 ZeroG is a part of Swiss Space Systems Holding SA offering flights in reduced gravity aircraft, a modified Airbus A300.[14][15] Aircraft is divided in 3 sections, with prices between €1,990 for a party zone with 40 passengers to €50,000 for a tailor-made experience. Each flight includes 15 parabolas during which aircraft dives at 45° angle from 34,000 feet (10,000 m) down to 24,000 feet (7,300 m) giving 20–25 seconds of microgravity on board.[16] S3 ZeroG aircraft will travel to numerous different countries around the world, starting in Switzerland during the second half of 2015.[17] At the end of 2016, the company was announcing first parabolic flights in January 2017, however, according to astronaut Claude Nicollier, who is President of the Committee of Experts of Swiss Space Systems, "it is absolutely impossible, it needs an official authorization and it will take months, if not years".[18]

S3 CEO Jaussi attacked

On August 26, 2016, Pascal Jaussi was abducted by unknown assailants, beaten, showered with a flammable liquid and badly burned.[19] Swiss newspapers report that the company is heavily indebted. In the years 2015 and 2016, bailiffs collected between 3 and 4 Million Swiss Francs. Creditworthiness is deemed low.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Coxworth, Ben (15 March 2013). "Swiss company aims to fly satellites into space". Gizmag.
  2. ↑ Messier, Doug (13 March 2013). "Swiss Space Systems Announces Smallsat Launch System". Parabolic Arc.
  3. 1 2 Messier, Doug (17 June 2013). "Swiss Space Systems Announces Plans for Crewed Suborbital Spacecraft". Parabolic Arc.
  4. ↑ Dessibourg, Olivier (14 March 2013). "Payerne, rampe d’accès à l’espace". Le Temps.
  5. ↑ "Die vielen Schulden des Pascal Jaussi - News - SRF" (in (German)). Srf.ch. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  6. ↑ "Schweizer Weltraum-Unternehmen S3: Jaussis Bank gibts gar nicht! - Blick" (in (German)). Blick.ch. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  7. ↑ "Pascal Jaussi bittet nach Brandanschlag um Konkurs-Gnadenfrist - Blick" (in (German)). Blick.ch. 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  8. ↑ Brusa, Nicola (10 June 2014). "Spedition ins Weltall". Tages-Anzeiger (in German).
  9. 1 2 Painter, Kristen Leigh (8 October 2013). "Spaceport Colorado lands agreement with Swiss space company". Denver Post. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "Swiss Space Systems plan mock-up test flights of SOAR". SpaceDaily. 1 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Aebi, Christian (18 June 2013). "Leur rêve: relier Genève à Sydney en deux heures de vol". Tribune de Genève (in French). Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  12. ↑ Pousaz, Lionel (10 September 2013). "Orbital Cleanup Satellite to be Launched in Partnership with S3" (Press release). EPFL. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Swiss Space Systems S3 develops its activities in Spain and strengthens its network of Spanish partners" (Press release). Gran Canary: Swiss Space Systems. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Swiss Space Systems Inaugurates Subsidiary At KSC". Space Coast Daily. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "About". S3 ZeroG. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Zero-G flights offer that floating sensation". The National. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  17. ↑ Messier, Doug (25 November 2015). "S3 to Begin Zero Gravity Flights in Switzerland". Payerne: Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  18. ↑ Die vielen Schulden des Pascal Jaussi, SRF, September 14, 2016
  19. ↑ "Pascal Jaussi: Der Weltraum-Pionier wird von 2 Unbekannten angezündet! - Blick" (in (German)). Blick.ch. 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  20. ↑ "Feuer-Angriff auf Pascal Jaussi: Tatmotiv wirft viele Fragen auf - Blick" (in (German)). Blick.ch. 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-10-25.

External links

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