Call for Interest – Opportunities for experiments on ESA Astronaut Marco Sieber’s flight to the ISS

© ESA

Marco Sieber recently qualified as ESA astronaut. His first mission to the International Space Station ISS is expected to take place between 2027 and 2029. The Swiss Space Office is issuing a Call for interest for scientific and technological experiments to be conducted during his mission. This Call is open to Swiss institutes and companies. Deadline: 31.01.2025.

Context

After graduating from the European Space Agency’s ESA basic training in April 2024, Marco Sieber has become Switzerland’s second astronaut. A medical doctor, he is now a member of the ESA astronaut corps and currently undergoing advanced training. Marco Sieber will be the first Swiss national to fly a six-month mission to the International Space Station ISS. Although the date of his first flight has not yet been set, it is expected to take place between 2027 and 2029.

During their six-month missions on board the ISS, ESA astronauts can dedicate some resources to experiments proposed by Participating States in ESA’s Human and Robotic Exploration programme. Preference is given to experiments proposed by the country of origin of the ESA astronaut.

In this context there is now a window of opportunity for Switzerland to promote experiments that could be flown on board the ISS during Marco Sieber’s mission. As a first step, the Swiss Space Office (SSO), in its capacity as the Swiss Delegation to ESA, is calling upon stakeholders in Switzerland to express their interest in providing potential experiments.

Guidelines

In your expression of interest, please consider the following:

1. Experiments can include scientific or technological demonstrator payloads. These must be able to be performed on board the ISS.
2. Experiments shall be in conformity with the objectives of the Swiss Space Policy. Swiss Space Policy
3. Experiments shall aim to promote scientific excellence or state-of-the-art technology demonstrations. They may have one or several objectives, including but not limited to:
   1. the understanding and improvement of human health;
   2. advancing robotics in space;
   3. the use of virtual reality (VR);
   4. addressing environmental challenges;
4. The preparation and implementation of the proposed payloads and experiments need to be realistically achievable within a timeframe of 2 years after project kick-off.
5. Transportation to and from the ISS, on-board resources and crew time will be provided by ESA.

For inspiration about relevant scientific topics, please consult ESA’s Science in Space Environment (SciSpacE) website: International Space Station (ISS) - SciSpacE (esa.int)

Please note that ESA experts will support the preparation and integration of the experiment on the ISS, in particular with regard to safety aspects.

How to express your interest

The SSO invites persons from Swiss institutes of higher education (universities, universities of applied sciences, and federal institutes of technology) or research institutes, as well as Swiss companies, to express their interest in writing.

The following information should be included:

• a summary and the specific strengths of your idea;
• a short description on how your idea aligns with the Swiss Space Policy and how it can promote scientific excellence or advance technology demonstration;
• description of activities to be performed during the flight and required resources (like crew time, up- and download mass)
• a short communications plan, and the potential to support educational efforts;
• the estimated implementation timeline;
• a rough estimate of the required budget and anticipated funding support, including in-kind contributions;
• a list of all involved institutes or companies with an indication of their role.

Please send your expression of interest as a pdf document of maximum 3 pages to [e-mail] with subject “Call for Interest – ESA Astronaut Marco Sieber’s flight to ISS”. Deadline is 31 January 2025.

Next steps

In its consideration of the submissions received, the SSO may consult experts from ESA in order to establish the feasibility of the proposed experiments. Following this initial consideration, proposers will be contacted to discuss the best way forward for the development and implementation of the proposed experiments if considered feasible. For the implementation of some experiments, dedicated Calls for Proposals may be issued. Proposers will be informed accordingly.  

Please note that this Call for Interest does not constitute any right for the proposer to receive detailed feedback or guaranteed funding.