ActInSpace Hackathon 2026 also taking place in Lucerne
Root/Lucerne - On 30 and 31 January 2026, Switzerland will for the first time be one of the host countries for the ActInSpace2026 Hackathon of the French and European space agencies. It is being held in Lucerne, hosted by the Space Systems Innovation Platform, the Technopark Lucerne and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
ActInSpace is coming to Switzerland for the first time. On 30 and 31 January 2026, Lucerne will be one of 58 host cities in 31 countries worldwide. According to an announcement, interested parties will soon be able to register on the ActInSpace website also for the Technopark Luzern venue. It will host the Hackathon together with the recently founded Space Systems Innovation Platform, which is based there, and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences.
ActInSpace was initiated in 2014 by the French Space Agency (Centre national d'études spatiales, CNES) and has since been organized in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). The 2026 edition is operated by Telecom Valley and the SAFE cluster. This hackathon, which is one of the world’s most influential for space innovation, promotes the creation of new startups as its ultimate goal, according to a presentation video.
Numerous challenges have already been formulated by CNES, Airbus and Thales Alenia Space and subdivided into four categories: Be a Newspace Player #Space 4.0, Everyday Life Business, Fly to Moon and Beyond, and Space for Earth & Humanity. Some of the proposed challenge themes are «Reinforce the autonomy of Airbus satellites», «Self-sustaining bases on the Moon and Mars», «Guardians of orbit: protecting our space, securing our future» and «Satellite data for a resilient planet».
Prizes include a ticket for a weightlessness experience on the Airbus 310 Zero G, the opportunity to use satellite observation data derived from the Airbus OneAtlas platform, the Women Entrepreneurship Prize from EBAN Space and Defense, flight simulation training or a place in the Thales Alenia Space Business Catalyst in Toulouse or Turin. Registration for the Hackathon location of Lucerne will open soon.
