Swiss Space Office

The Swiss Space Office, known as SSO, is the federal government competence centre for national and international space matters in Switzerland, cooperating closely with other federal offices and responsible for preparing and implementing the policy and strategic orientation of the space domain, as part of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The office ensures international cooperation in the space sector, promotes contacts with foreign partners and represents Swiss interests in international organisations and cooperation programmes, most importantly through the participation of Switzerland in European Space Agency programmes; Switzerland is a founding member of the European Space Agency and has taken part in European space development since 1960, the Swiss Space Office opened in 1998, and its role expanded to cover all aspects of space policy in 2000 when a new national constitution came into force. The office in Bern is also responsible for the secretariat of the Federal Commission for Space Affairs and the Interdepartmental Coordination Committee for Space Affairs.