EPFL — Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is Switzerland's federal technical university, founded in 1853 in Lausanne. With over 10,000 students and 350+ laboratories, EPFL ranks consistently among the world's top universities in engineering and natural sciences. Its campus on the shores of Lake Geneva is one of Europe's most innovative research environments, hosting the Swiss Space Center, which coordinates Swiss space activities through ESA.

In space, EPFL is best known for SwissCube — Switzerland's first satellite — a 1U CubeSat launched in September 2009 that detected airglow in the atmosphere and remained operational for over a decade. The EPFL Spacecraft Team, a student organisation of ~60 members, has carried the torch since, building and launching successive missions: an onboard computer prototype aboard a D-Orbit ION in January 2023 (Bunny), and the CHESS mission — two 3U CubeSats for atmospheric chemical composition measurement planned for 2026–2028.

Beyond CubeSats, EPFL's space research spans exoplanet characterisation (CHEOPS telescope contributions), gravitational wave detection (LISA), robotics for in-orbit servicing, and remote sensing. The Rolex Learning Center, EPFL's iconic landmark, has become a symbol of the institution's commitment to interdisciplinary innovation.