asclepios
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
asclepios firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- asclepios
- Legal name
- Asclepios Association
- Website
- https://asclepios.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
asclepios industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space Education and Research
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Flight Training (611512)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF), International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK), Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK), Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)
Keywords
Where asclepios is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
asclepios business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorships: The project is entirely supported by sponsorships, donations, and crowdfunding. The organization is non-profit and funds go toward scientific equipment, astronaut training, and mission operations.
- Crowdfunding: GoFundMe campaign used to collect public donations to support the student space mission, covering mission costs, equipment, and training.
- Merchandise Sales: Merch revenue is one of the ways the association funds itself. Earnings go directly toward scientific equipment, astronaut training, and analogue mission operations. A store is being launched.
- Scientific Experiment Integration (In-Kind): Experiments are integrated and performed free of charge for scientific collaborators. While not a direct revenue stream, this creates a network of academic and industrial partners who contribute resources, equipment, and expertise to the missions.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
asclepios product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Asclepios organizes student-led analogue space missions that simulate lunar base conditions in Swiss underground facilities (Sasso San Gottardo fortress and Grimsel Test Site). Selected student astronaut candidates undergo a year-long training program modelled after ESA/NASA activities, then spend up to two weeks in isolation performing scientific experiments and Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) overseen by a Mission Control Centre. The organization also operates Asclepios Lab, an EPFL association developing space-grade technologies, and provides a scientific research platform where academic and industrial partners test experiments in realistic analogue conditions. All programs are offered free of charge to participants and collaborators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Asclepios Mission Simulations Student-led analogue space mission simulations that replicate conditions of a lunar base mission. Selected astronaut candidates undergo isolation and conduct scientific experiments in facilities such as the Sasso San Gottardo fortress in Switzerland, with oversight from a Mission Control Centre.
- Asclepios Lab An EPFL association developing space-grade technologies for the upcoming lunar analog missions and future independent space projects. Project areas include launch and mission simulation, base design, VR environments, spacesuit design, and environmental control and life support systems.
- Astronaut Training Program A year-long training program modelled after ESA and NASA astronaut training activities. Includes online training on science, medicine, psychology, and space physiology, as well as extreme environment training, parabolic flight training, and scuba diving training, preparing selected students for the analogue mission.
- Scientific Research Platform A scientific testbed for projects proposed by academic and industrial partners. Provides an operationally realistic simulation for testing experiments in areas including robotics, life sciences, medicine, space habitat engineering, and environmental physics, integrated into the analogue mission environment.
- Merchandise Store Online merchandise store selling mission-related apparel and items. Revenue generated directly funds scientific equipment, astronaut training, and analog mission operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Alumni have progressed to roles at ESA, including as ISS Flight Controllers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use asclepios
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
asclepios technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
asclepios partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Spartan SpacemajorSpartan Space and Asclepios joined forces for the WBA (World's Biggest Analog) Eurohab simulation. Spartan Space's EUROHAB habitat was used — a short-term occupancy lunar outpost. Two crews of two analogue astronauts each spent 48 hours inside the habitat as part of the WBA simulation from October 17-21, 2025.
- EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)coreAsclepios was created in August 2019 as an EPFL Space@yourService project. It is now an independent association recognised by EPFL. EPFL provides institutional support, access to facilities, student recruitment through university networks, and EPFL supervisors for semester projects. Asclepios Lab operates as an EPFL association working on space-grade technologies.
- Swiss Space CentrecoreFormer ESA astronaut and EPFL professor Claude Nicollier is a member of the Swiss Space Centre and has been mentor of the Asclepios astronaut team since the beginning of the project (Asclepios I, 2019). He is the primary mentor providing guidance and credibility to the program.
- WBA (World's Biggest Analog)majorThe World's Biggest Analog is the world's first major multihabitat simulation involving 16 lunar or Martian habitats on nearly every continent simultaneously. Asclepios participates as one of the habitat operators. The project connects over 200 researchers and serves as a proof of concept for large-scale analogue missions.
- Nagra (Grimsel Test Site)coreNagra's Grimsel Test Site (underground nuclear waste repository laboratory) served as the analogue lunar base location for Asclepios I and II missions. The underground facility provided realistic conditions for simulating a lunar base. Nagra is listed as a sponsor and facility provider for these early missions.
- Academic and Research InstitutionsmajorAsclepios works with research groups, companies, students, and start-ups that have products or projects to test within the lunar analogue mission. Partners include MIT, TUM, ISAE-SUPAERO, ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, EPFL, and many others. Multiple collaborative research papers have been published from mission data.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
asclepios competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NASA NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations): NASA's underwater analogue program at Aquarius Reef Base. Comparable in mission structure (isolation, EVAs, science), but a large government program rather than a student-led non-profit.
- NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA): NASA's flagship ground-based analogue facility at Johnson Space Center. Provides a comparable isolation/simulation environment for spaceflight research but operates as a national-agency program rather than a student-led initiative.
Direct peers
- HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation): NASA-funded long-duration isolation missions in a Hawaiian habitat. Closely comparable mission profile to Asclepios — multi-week isolation, EVA simulations, scientific experiments, and crew selection processes for analogue astronauts.
- Austrian Space Forum (OeWF / PolAres): OeWF conducts the PolAres Mars analogue missions and field simulations in partnership with international researchers. Comparable in running multi-day analogue missions with rigorous scientific protocols and international crew selection.
- International Space University (ISU): Graduate-level space education institution headquartered in Strasbourg. Comparable in providing interdisciplinary space-focused training and professional development for students globally, complementing Asclepios's analogue mission experience with academic credentials.
- Mars Society (Mars Desert Research Station): The Mars Society operates MDRS, the longest-running student/researcher-accessible Mars analogue habitat in Utah. Directly comparable to Asclepios in offering immersive analogue missions for scientific and educational purposes, though focused on Mars rather than lunar simulation.
- LunAres Research Station: Polish lunar analogue habitat conducting isolation missions and research experiments. Directly comparable mission model with similar research-platform focus and crew-selection approach for analogue astronauts.
- Analog Astronaut Training Center (AATC): Polish-based training center offering commercial analogue missions and astronaut training programs. Comparable in offering structured training, isolation simulations, and crew experiences, though it operates a paid commercial model versus Asclepios's free/sponsored approach.
Others
- Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC): Global non-governmental organization for students and young professionals in the space sector. Directly relevant as an existing Asclepios research partner (FIGURES, TURTLE projects) and as a comparable student/youth-focused space network.
- Swiss Space Centre (EPFL): EPFL's space research hub and home to Asclepios's primary mentor Claude Nicollier. Functions as an enabling institutional partner and ecosystem connector rather than a competitor, but comparable in fostering Swiss space research and education.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
asclepios social profiles
Digital presenceasclepios financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
asclepios leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
asclepios subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
asclepios funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
asclepios M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about asclepios
What does asclepios do?
Asclepios organizes student-led analogue space missions that simulate lunar base conditions in Swiss underground facilities (Sasso San Gottardo fortress and Grimsel Test Site). Selected student astronaut candidates undergo a year-long training program modelled after ESA/NASA activities, then spend up to two weeks in isolation performing scientific experiments and Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) overseen by a Mission Control Centre. The organization also operates Asclepios Lab, an EPFL association developing space-grade technologies, and provides a scientific research platform where academic and industrial partners test experiments in realistic analogue conditions. All programs are offered free of charge to participants and collaborators.
Is asclepios a public or private company?
asclepios is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was asclepios founded?
asclepios was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is asclepios based?
asclepios is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does asclepios make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are crowdfunding, merchandise Sales and scientific Experiment Integration (In-Kind).
Who are asclepios's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NASA NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) and NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA). Direct peers are HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation), Austrian Space Forum (OeWF / PolAres), International Space University (ISU), Mars Society (Mars Desert Research Station), LunAres Research Station and Analog Astronaut Training Center (AATC). Others are Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and Swiss Space Centre (EPFL).
Does asclepios have an API?
No public API is recorded for asclepios.
What industry is asclepios in?
asclepios's product category is Space Education and Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAE, Space & Astronomy Programs, with a secondary code of EDAIAIAF, Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate). Its NAICS code is 611310 and its SIC code is 8200.