In the quiet landscapes of the Gruyère region, a group of friends once spent their spare time in a hangar in Lessoc, dreaming of the stars. What began as a grassroots effort called the Gruyère Space Program has evolved into Pave Space, a Swiss startup now poised to challenge the slow pace of orbital logistics. The team is preparing to move from theoretical designs to high-stakes physical testing with their flagship vehicle, “Lyoba.”
The ambition is significant: Pave Space aims to slash the time it takes to move satellites into their final orbits. While current orbital transfer solutions can take up to six months to position a payload, Lyoba is designed to complete the journey in just 24 hours. This leap in efficiency is powered by an ion propulsion system, a technology that uses electricity to accelerate ions to create thrust, offering far greater fuel efficiency than traditional chemical rockets.
To prove the concept, the company is transforming a relic of Switzerland’s industrial past into a cutting-edge aerospace laboratory. The team has selected the former Chavalon thermal power plant, perched above Le Bouveret in the Chablais region. Abandoned for more than a quarter of a century, the site’s isolation from residential areas makes it an ideal location for the volatile nature of propulsion testing.
The Engineering Behind Lyoba
Lyoba is a massive piece of hardware—a cylinder measuring 10 meters in height and 3.5 meters in diameter. It is designed to act as a “space shuttle” or orbital tug, picking up satellites and delivering them to precise destinations with unprecedented speed. This capability would fundamentally change how satellite constellations are deployed, allowing operators to replace failing hardware or optimize orbits in a fraction of the current time.
The upcoming tests, scheduled between late summer and autumn, will focus on the ion engine’s performance. Because the engine generates significant force and carries the inherent risk of failure, Mathieu Gachet, the engineer overseeing the test bench, has implemented rigorous safety protocols. The motor will be housed within a reinforced concrete enclosure designed to contain the thrust and capture any debris should a malfunction occur during firing.
Lyoba Technical Specifications and Milestones
| Feature/Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Dimensions | 10m Height / 3.5m Diameter |
| Propulsion Type | Ion Engine |
| Target Delivery Time | 24 Hours (vs. 6 months traditional) |
| Test Location | Chavalon Thermal Plant, Le Bouveret |
| First Space Flight | Scheduled for 2029 |
From a Hangar in Lessoc to Villeneuve
The trajectory of Pave Space—whose name translates to “opening the way”—mirrors the rapid growth of the “New Space” economy. Founded in 2024 by Julie Böhning, Jérémy Marciacq and Simon, the company grew out of a shared passion for reusable rocketry. The founders initially sought to develop Europe’s first reusable rocket, a goal that provided the technical foundation for their current focus on orbital transport.
Today, the operation has scaled from a small circle of friends to a professional workforce of approximately 40 employees. The company recently relocated to the industrial zone of Villeneuve, a strategic move that places their headquarters just 20 minutes away from the Chavalon test site. For a startup operating on a tight timeline, this proximity is not a luxury, but a necessity for iterative engineering.
Julie Böhning, the 26-year-old director and co-founder, emphasizes that the ability to move quickly between the office and the test bench is critical to their success. “It’s very important for the teams to be close to the tests, to see how the engine is functioning,” Böhning said. “We need to be able to make hypotheses and verify them. By making these back-and-forth trips as quickly as possible, we hope to beat execution time records for this kind of technology.”
The Strategic Impact of Orbital Logistics
The success of Lyoba would address one of the primary bottlenecks in modern space exploration: the “last mile” of delivery. Most rockets launch satellites into a general transfer orbit, leaving the satellite to use its own limited fuel to slowly drift toward its final destination. By providing a dedicated, high-speed transport service, Pave Space could allow satellites to be launched with less onboard fuel, increasing their operational lifespan or allowing for heavier, more capable scientific instruments.
However, the road to 2029 remains steep. Ion engines, while efficient, typically produce very low thrust compared to chemical engines, making the claim of a 24-hour transit a bold engineering challenge. The tests at Chavalon will be the first real-world indication of whether Pave Space can scale this technology to the levels required for commercial viability.
The next critical checkpoint for Pave Space will be the completion of the Chavalon laboratory and the first successful firing of the ion engine this autumn. These results will determine the design refinements necessary for the vehicle’s prototype phase as the company pushes toward its 2029 launch window.
Do you think small-scale startups are the future of space exploration, or is the industry still the domain of giants? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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