Reaching new frontiers in performance
Our precision mechanisms and instrumentation for use in space exploration has led to quantum leaps in performance for satellites and telescopes. Now, we're going even further to deliver a range of space and aeronautics applications.
Our successes include the Corner Cube Mechanism used in European meteorological satellites Metop and MTG door mechanisms for the European Space Agency (ESA) X-Ray Multi-Mirror Satellite (XMM), LiDAR for space debris removal as part of the H2020 European project and ultra-high stability laser metrology for the LISA satellite interferometer (ESA-NASA mission).
We are particularly well positioned when it comes to MEMS and MOEMS sensor development which plays a key role in the ongoing miniaturization of electronic modules and systems.
Our miniaturized LiDAR imaging technology can provide solutions for landing, rendezvous, and rover navigation applications.
We are also a key player when it comes to atomic clock and sensing (gyroscope, magnetometer) developments that have huge potential in space and aeronautics applications.
We’ve developed a range of solutions for the aeronautics sector. For example, our pressure sensing strip measures pressure distribution over aircraft wings during flight, while our pressure-sensitive paint is used on steel aircraft models and wind tunnels.
Our icephobic coatings significantly reduce the adhesion of ice to wings and fuselages. Meanwhile, ultra-low-power wireless sensor networks reduce both aircraft weight and maintenance, lowering CO2 emissions while maintaining the same levels of safety. We are also improving safety with in-cockpit monitoring and developing ultra-lightweight photovoltaic modules.
CSEM is by far the best company we have worked with in the past 20 years. We not only recommend them without reservation.
We have a very positive experience of working with CSEM for the European Space Agency, which is why we wanted it to develop the corner cube mechanism, a key element of our interferometer, for MTG’s new kind of meteorological instrument.
Our five-year collaboration with CSEM has allowed us to have a continuous workstream with the same group of experts, who follow up on developments with us in a way that creates a closeness with our internal people working on the same topics—it’s nice teamwork.
CSEM has many years of knowledge and experience in designing moving mechanisms that perform reliably, frictionlessly, and with a precision of a few micrometers, which is a key performance characteristic of the instrument. Thanks to this know-how, the CLUPI has the potential to discover past life on Mars.
RUAG Aerospace has come to fully appreciate CSEM's experience and high level of competence in the design and simulation of high-precision space mechanisms integrating flexible structures.
CSEM and Orolia Switzerland have had a long and successful partnership. Our ongoing project with CSEM is the development of a Chip Scale Rubidium Oscillator to complete Orolia's mRO-50™ product line. Thanks to CSEM's MEMS expertise and micromachining facilities, Orolia Switzerland will now be able to access new types of markets and provide our clients with affordable and reliable components based on the latest technologies.
The spirit of collaboration that CSEM has shown has been excellent and I would specifically like to commend the center.
In our effort to make space sustainable, CSEM is a strong ally, offering years of experience in the space application field. Currently, in the framework of the ClearSpace-1 Service, our team has very different projects in robotics and navigation with CSEM. Their expertise, pragmatism and diligence allow us to advance ClearSpace's cutting-edge in orbit servicing.
3 July 2026
Discover how CSEM and Almatech are rethinking battery-pack architecture for space applications: lighter, multifunctional, additively manufactured frame designed to simplify integration, improve maintainability and shorten manufacturing lead time, while addressing the demanding constraints of space environments.
18 March 2026
EPFL and CSEM researchers have achieved a record 30% efficiency for triple-junction solar cells, which combine two thin-film perovskite cells and one silicon cell on a single device. This success features in Nature publication.
30 January 2026
How Swiss precision engineering at CSEM helps Europe see extreme weather forming, by scanning the atmosphere with extraordinary accuracy, before it strikes.