asclepios

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

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

• Analogue space missions
• Spaceflight simulation training
• Astronaut training programs
• Space research platform
• Student space education

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Crowdfunding: GoFundMe campaign used to collect public donations to support the student space mission, covering mission costs, equipment, and training.
3. 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.
4. 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

Core 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

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Spartan SpacemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2025Spartan 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2019Asclepios 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 CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer 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)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNagra'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 InstitutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsclepios 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

Broad 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

• Xx.com/asclepios_epfl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@asclepiosmission5584
• Facebookm.facebook.com/Asclepiosmission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asclepios-association/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/asclepios_mission/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about asclepios