{"id":11658,"date":"2026-06-29T11:23:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T09:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/?post_type=magazin&p=11658"},"modified":"2026-06-29T11:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T09:25:01","slug":"special-coin-esa","status":"publish","type":"magazin","link":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/magazine\/special-coin-esa\/","title":{"rendered":"Special coin ESA \u2013 a powerful symbol of Swiss technology and expertise"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Special coin ESA \u2013 a powerful symbol of Swiss technology and
\nexpertise<\/h1>\n

On 11 June 2026, Swissmint launched the new \u201cESA\u201d special coin, once again showcasing a flagship Swiss project. The new special coin follows the \u201cCERN\u201d special coin, which was dedicated to CERN in 2025.<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\"The<\/picture>Find out more about Switzerland\u2019s contribution to the Ariane 6 rocket here<\/a><\/div><\/div>

The European Space Agency<\/h3>

The European Space Agency ESA is Europe\u2019s gateway to space. It coordinates and promotes the development of European space activities and ensures that the investments made in this area bring lasting benefits to all Europeans. It was founded in 1975 to make Europe technically and politically less dependent on the space-faring nations of the Soviet Union and the United States. ESA currently has 23 member states, including Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Swiss technology is ubiquitous both on Earth and in space \u2013 during the moon landing, the Apollo 11 crew wore Swiss watches, and their suits were secured with Velcro fastenings invented by a Swiss engineer. Today, Swiss companies and universities are involved in most of ESA\u2019s space research missions, including Solar Orbiter, Gaia, Juice and Rosalind Franklin. The two Swiss-based companies Beyond Gravity and APCO Technologies supply components for the Ariane 6 rocket as well as essential ground equipment.<\/p>\n

Since May 2025, ESA has had its first permanent site in Switzerland: the European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre. This innovation centre was launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and is located in the Park Innovaare in Villigen.<\/p>\n

Image source: \u00a9 ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE\/Optique vid\u00e9o du CSG\u2013T. Leduc<\/p>\n

Find out more about Switzerland\u2019s contribution to the Ariane 6 rocket here<\/a><\/use><\/svg>Find out more about Switzerland\u2019s contribution to the Ariane 6 rocket here<\/span><\/use><\/svg><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Sonderm\u00fcnze<\/picture><\/div><\/div>[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

Obverse<\/strong>\n

The Earth, Moon and Mars are depicted on the obverse of the new ESA special coin. They are encircled by the words \u201cEuropean Space Agency\u201d and \u201cElevating the future of Europe\u201d. The latter is the central theme of the \u201cESA Strategy 2040\u201d, which aims to strengthen Europe\u2019s autonomy, resilience and competitiveness in space. The lower third of the obverse features a view of Europe from space. Switzerland lies at the centre of this image.<\/p>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

Reverse<\/strong>\n

The reverse of the ESA special coin depicts the upper section of an Ariane 6 rocket and the payload fairings developed and manufactured for this rocket by the Swiss company Beyond Gravity Switzerland. These protect satellites from extreme thermal, acoustic and aerodynamic conditions. Once the rocket has left the atmosphere, the two fairings separate from the rocket. Around the edge of the coin is the face value of CHF 20, the inscription \u201cCONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA\u201d, the minting year 2026 and the mint mark B for Swissmint.<\/p>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner]

Buy the special coin<\/a><\/use><\/svg>Buy the special coin<\/span><\/use><\/svg><\/span><\/div><\/div>

Ariane 6 is an ESA programme funded by thirteen participating states, including Switzerland. Both the launcher, built by ArianeGroup, and the launch facilities, provided by CNES, benefit from contributions by Swiss industry. Arianespace is responsible for its commercialisation.<\/p>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-11658","magazin","type-magazin","status-publish","hentry","thema-special-coins"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin\/11658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/magazin"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin\/11658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11664,"href":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin\/11658\/revisions\/11664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sondermuenze.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}