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Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
More Swiss research in space: Florian Kehl on the development of space missions at ETH Zurich
Four telescopes that must maintain a stable focus on extremely faint galaxies for an exceptionally long time, and detectors that remain at a constant temperature of around –130 degrees Celsius throughout: the ARRAKIHS space telescope has been built to the very limits of what is technically possible. In June 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) gave the go-ahead for the mission – with a Swiss contribution for which Florian Kehl was responsible until the end of 2025. To ensure that such contributions do not remain isolated cases, in addition to high-quality research, we need structures, streamlined processes and people who can get entire missions off the ground. This is precisely what Kehl is working on today as Director of Space Research Initiatives at ETH Zurich | Space. In an interview with SATW, he explains what makes ARRAKIHS so technically challenging, just how competitive Switzerland really is when it comes to securing leadership roles in European missions, and why, in his view, the search for extraterrestrial life might be on the verge of yielding an answer.
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences SAMS
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New funding program: Advanced Physician Scientists Grants
The Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS are launching the funding program «Advanced Physician Scientists Grants» to support outstanding mid-career clinicians trained in Switzerland. The program allows them to devote 50 percent of their working time to their research project for two years, alongside their clinical activity.
Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
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“Can we still dream of space?” – Galactic Chloé on the importance of space and who has a say in it
In 2019, Chloé Carrière co-founded Asclepios, Europe’s first student-led analog space mission. The first crew went into isolation in July 2021. In July 2025, the fifth edition spent 16 days underground at the Sasso San Gottardo fortress in Ticino – a mission that the aerospace engineer now accompanies as a mentor. As “Galactic Chloé”, she reaches a broad audience today with space topics on social media, in her own radio column and through documentary films. In an interview with SATW, she explains what students learn from a simulated moon mission, why she believes Swiss citizens should have a say in space policy, why she had to reshape her own dream of walking on the moon and how to keep Switzerland’s young space industry in the country.Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
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A hot summer and Switzerland’s energy supply
According to MeteoSwiss, the summer of 2026 was the hottest since records began in 1864. At the same time, there had already been very little rainfall during the winter and spring, leading to extreme drought. The stable high-pressure weather also brought Switzerland a duration of sunshine well above the long-term average. These extreme weather events have far-reaching implications for society and the environment, and specifically for the energy supply. Christian Schaffner, Managing Director of the Energy Science Centre at ETH Zurich, provides an analysis for the SATW.