Global Fastener News

The first anniversary image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope displays the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth.

Exactly one year ago, the sharpest image of the remote universe in existence was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

As a principal supplier of fasteners for the payload fairing of European launch rocket Ariane 5, which transported the James Webb space telescope into space, Bossard played a part in that achievement.

“We are proud to contribute to researching the universe with our fasteners for the Ariane launch rocket,” stated CEO Daniel Bossard. “Thanks to its unprecedented abilities and potential for revolutionary discoveries, the James Webb Space Telescope will expand our horizon and inspire generations to reach for the stars.”

CEO Daniel Bossard with the JWST model in 1:4 scale @Bossard World in Zug

The opportunity to supply fasteners for space exploration was the result of decades of reliably partnering with Swiss technology company Beyond Gravity.

Since 1980, Bossard and its subsidiary Interfast AG have been supplying fasteners to Beyond Gravity, which has produced the payload fairings for all missions since the first Ariane flight in 1979. The fairings play a crucial role in protecting payloads such as satellites or spacecraft, as well as in optimizing performance of the rockets during the initial launch phases.

Bossard engineers and specialists collaborate with Beyond Gravity to provide advice on individual fasteners and drawing parts. Bossard supplies screws, nuts, special washers, clamps, nipples, and specially designed rivets for the payload fairing’s separation system. Bossard has supplied Beyond Gravity with more than 1,000,000 fasteners over the course of the collaboration.

At the end of 2023, Beyond Gravity was tasked with producing the payload fairings for Ariane 6, the next generation of European launch rockets. In the future, Bossard will also play a key role in supplying fasteners to Beyond Gravity.

Züg, Switzerland-based Bossard is an international industrial and automotive fasteners supplier, with 2,925 employees working at 82 sites in 32 countries and record sales of $1.32 billion in 2022. Web: Bossard.com

About the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s largest, most powerful, and most complex space telescope ever built. Webb will unravel the mysteries of our solar system, take a look at remote worlds and other stars, and research the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA and its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Authority (CSA). (Source: NASA)