Swiss Space Law: Licensing Requirement

Licence requirement

Art. 8 et seq. of the preliminary draft of the new Federal Act on Space Operations ("PD-SOA") govern the licensing requirements for companies engaged in space operations. The primary aim is to increase safety in space operations and protect traditional police interests. The authorisation under Art. 8 PD-SOA is therefore a traditional police authorisation.

Any company based in Switzerland conducting space operations requires authorisation (cf. Art. 8 PD-SOA [personal scope of application]). According to the EAER's explanatory report this requirement also applies to foreign companies if they conduct their space operations on Swiss territory.

Space operations are subject to authorisation under Art. 8 PD-SOA. This includes the launch, positioning, operation, control and monitoring of space objects or satellites (Art. 3 lit. a PD-SOA). In contrast, the specific purpose of a satellite's activity, such as data transmission, research, or