PAVE Space

PAVE Space SA is a Swiss aerospace company founded in 2023 as a spinoff from the Gruyère Space Program (GSP). The company is led by CEO and co-founder Julie Böhning and CTO and co-founder Jérémy Marciacq. The founding team, who met in high school, transitioned from their successful student project, which developed Europe's first reusable rocket hopper named Colibri, to a commercial venture focused on in-orbit services.

PAVE Space aims to revolutionize orbital logistics by providing services that extend the lifespan of satellites. The company is developing autonomous spacecraft and robotics for in-orbit inspection, maintenance, refueling, and repositioning of satellites. Its long-term vision includes creating the necessary infrastructure for a sustainable in-orbit economy. The business model follows a phased approach, starting with revenue-generating services while building towards more complex missions. Initially, PAVE Space offers Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) simulation services, having already secured commercial contracts.

The company's strategic roadmap includes an in-orbit demonstration mission by 2027 to enter the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) market, which involves tracking satellites and debris. A key future offering is a kick-stage vehicle, named Poya, designed to transport satellites from their launch vehicle to their final orbit within 24 hours, a significant reduction from the current months-long process. The ultimate goal is to launch a Satellite Life Extension (LEX) service by 2030, which will serve as an in-orbit "handyman" for aging telecommunications satellites, thereby reducing space debris and replacement costs.

Keywords: in-orbit servicing, orbital logistics, space mobility, satellite life extension, space situational awareness, guidance navigation and control, autonomous spacecraft, space robotics, kick-stage vehicle, satellite inspection, satellite maintenance, space debris mitigation, Swiss aerospace, sustainable space economy, in-situ resource utilization, European space startup