analog astronaut training center sp. z o.o.

What analog astronaut training center sp. z o.o. does

Analog Astronaut Training Center sp. z o.o. (AATC) is a Poland-based private company founded in 2014 by former ESA professionals Matt Harasymczuk and Agata Harasymczuk-Kołodziejczyk. The company operates from headquarters in Kraków and a main analog habitat in Rzepiennik Biskupi, delivering human spaceflight training, analog missions, bioastronautics research, scientific diving, software engineering education, and space medicine programs. As of 2024, AATC had executed 111 analog missions with 14,716 participants from 58 nationalities, supported by 37 peer-reviewed publications and 145 conference proceedings. The company has flown one experiment on the International Space Station with another in preparation, and maintains research collaborations with ESA, IIAS, AGH University, WIML, and Jagiellonian University Medical College.

The core technical stack comprises proprietary analog spacesuits (Wydra, LEM IVA, Dziobak) and a software portfolio including HabitatOS (habitat operations), RPM, StratOS (stratospheric operations), and AIoT Sensors for environmental monitoring. AATC holds the IIAS Chief EVA Instructor designation and runs PADI-certified scientific diving programs, providing credentialed technical training that few peers can replicate. Revenue mechanics span individual mission participation fees (registration ~1,000 PLN), training course tuition, scientific diving certifications, and institutional research contracts. The company also co-founded Micropura in July 2025, a spinoff addressing water purification, signaling diversification beyond pure training services.

AATC's geographic footprint extends across Poland, Egypt, UAE, India, USA, Hungary, Norway, Thailand, Australia, and Mexico, with partnerships including DeepSpot and Deep Dive Dubai for hyperbaric training. The main habitat is undergoing a 2026 expansion to more than double its size with a new sanitary node, and four additional analog missions are planned for 2026. The Junior Space Camp program, postponed to 2027, signals intent to enter youth education. The company remains privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, headcount, or revenue figures.

Name

analog astronaut training center sp. z o.o.

Legal name

analog astronaut training center sp. z o.o.

Website

https://astronaut.center

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Analog Astronaut Training Center sp. z o.o. (AATC) is a Poland-based spaceflight training company founded in 2014 that delivers analog missions, bioastronautics research, and technical training using proprietary spacesuits and habitat software, serving individual participants and institutional research partners across 58 nationalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spaceflight Training and Bioastronautics Research

NAICS

Flight Training (611512), Computer Training (611420), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Avionics Test, Simulation & Calibration Equipment (IMABAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI), EMS Education, Training & Simulation Centers (HLAFANAL), Emergency Medical Services (EMT/Paramedic) Training (EDAOAMAC)

Keywords

• Analog astronaut training
• Bioastronautics research
• Scientific diving education
• Space medicine training
• Neutral buoyancy EVA

Headquarters

HQ city

Krakow

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Programs: Revenue from space analog training programs including analog missions, human centrifuge, neutral buoyancy EVA, parabolic flight, and high-altitude chamber training.
2. Educational Workshops: Revenue from workshops including human spaceflight, space medicine, junior space camps, and stratospheric balloon workshops.
3. Scuba Diving Courses: Revenue from recreational, technical, professional, and scientific diving certification courses and expeditions.
4. Software Courses: Revenue from Python, software engineering, web development, data science, and AI/ML training courses.
5. Products: Sales of hardware products including Random Positioning Machine (RPM), Micropura sensors, AIoT sensors, and StratOS.
6. Expeditions: Revenue from international expeditions including Dahab (Egypt), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Hawaii (USA), Cenotes (Mexico), Svalbard (Arctic), and Himalayas (India).
7. Referral Program: Participants refer others to training courses, receiving discounts and free courses based on successful referrals (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 200 referrals).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Analog Astronaut Training Center (AATC) provides human spaceflight training and bioastronautics research services through analog missions in its full-isolation habitat, human centrifuge, neutral buoyancy EVA, parabolic flight, stratospheric balloon, and rocket workshops. The company also delivers scientific and technical scuba diving certifications, space medicine training, software engineering courses (Python, AI/ML, DevOps), and international expeditions, and develops proprietary hardware such as the Random Positioning Machine, Micropura microbial sensor, AIoT sensors, and the HabitatOS operating system for Moon/Mars analog habitats.

Product overview

AATC offers a portfolio of both training/education services and specialized products for human spaceflight science and bioastronautics. The training division provides analog astronaut training (including analog missions, neutral buoyancy EVA, human centrifuge, parabolic flight, high-altitude chamber, and rocket workshops), software engineering courses (Python, Django, REST APIs, data science, AI/ML), scientific diving certifications, space medicine training, and research expeditions. The product portfolio complements the training services with hardware devices including the Random Positioning Machine (RPM) for microgravity simulation research, Micropura microbial purity sensors, AIoT sensor networks for environmental monitoring, and StratOS stratospheric balloon mission services. HabitatOS serves as the software platform operating system for analog habitats. The products are primarily used internally for training and research purposes while also being offered to external customers in the space analog research community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Analog Mission An 8-day full-isolation space analog simulation conducted at the AATC habitat in Rzepiennik Biskupi, Poland, designed for individuals and teams preparing for human spaceflight conditions including isolation, confined operations, and mission control workflows.
• Analog Colony A large-scale multi-participant analog colony simulation in the AATC habitat, accommodating up to 31 participants simultaneously for group isolation studies.
• Neutral Buoyancy EVA Training Underwater spacewalk training using neutral buoyancy at partner NBL facilities including Deep Dive Dubai and University of Maryland, employing the proprietary Wydra pressurized training spacesuit.
• Human Centrifuge Training Physiological training for G-force tolerance and high-acceleration exposure delivered at the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine (WIML) facility in Warsaw, Poland.
• Parabolic Flight Microgravity parabolic flight experience for astronaut candidates and researchers to experience weightlessness.
• High-Altitude Chamber Hypobaric chamber training for high-altitude physiological acclimatization.
• Stratospheric Workshop Hands-on stratospheric balloon mission workshop covering mission planning, gas handling, tracking, and recovery; missions have reached a maximum altitude of 39,405 m (129,282 ft).
• Rocket Workshop Rocket building and launch workshop for hands-on aerospace engineering experience.
• Junior Space Camp A 7-day youth residential space workshop for participants aged 14-18 covering space technology, survival skills, robotics, 3D printing, and astronaut training exercises.
• Human Spaceflight and Space Medicine Workshop Educational workshop covering human spaceflight and space medicine delivered internationally for students and educators, including a STEM edition for school students.
• Scuba Diving Courses PADI-aligned recreational, technical, professional, and scientific diving certification programs (Open Water through Master Scuba Diver, Tec 40/45/50, Trimix, Divemaster, Instructor Development Course) delivered at DeepSpot Mszczonów and Planet Divers Dahab.
• Software Engineering Training Courses Software training portfolio covering Python, Django, REST APIs, SQL databases, data science (Pandas, NumPy), AI/Machine Learning (LLM, Generative AI, Neural Networks), and DevOps delivered to individuals and corporate clients.
• International Diving Expeditions Guided international expeditions combining technical diving training and trekking at locations such as Dahab (Egypt), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Hawaii (USA), Cenotes (Mexico), Molnár János Cave (Hungary), Svalbard (Arctic), and the Himalayas (India).
• Random Positioning Machine (RPM) A laboratory device that simulates microgravity conditions through continuous random reorientation, used for research on cell culture growth, radiation therapy studies, and other space analog experiments.
• Micropura Microbial Purity Sensor A microbial purity sensor for detecting and measuring microbial contamination in analog space environments and laboratory settings.
• AIoT Sensor Networks Artificial Intelligence of Things sensor networks combining AI with IoT for monitoring environmental parameters, atmospheric composition, and habitat conditions in analog space environments.
• HabitatOS An open-source operating system prototype for Moon and Mars analog habitats that automates and manages habitat operations including life support systems, environmental monitoring, and mission control functions.
• StratOS Stratospheric Balloon Service Stratospheric balloon mission service including mission planning, gas handling, tracking, and recovery for atmospheric and space analog research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,716 participants trained across all programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Florida International University - Aquarius Reef BaseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Scientific diving collaboration at underwater habitat. Matt Harasymczuk completed Introduction to Saturation Diving at Aquarius and received AAUS Scientific Diver certification.
• International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020AATC CEO Matt Harasymczuk serves as Director of Project OTTER (Orbital Technologies and Tools for Extravehicular Research) at IIAS. He is lead instructor for EVA602 Underwater Analog EVA and EVA504 Scientific Diving courses. The partnership involves design and implementation of underwater EVA trainings, NBL training suit evaluation, and collaboration with US facilities including Survival Systems and Aquarius Reef Base at FIU.
• Italian Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular PhysiologyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019Collaboration on development of Random Positioning Machine for cancer cell culture growth in space analog environment for radiation therapy research.
• Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Disaster and Emergency MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2019Scientific collaboration on human spaceflight and microgravity emergency medicine research. Collaboration includes underwater tests in neutral buoyancy and applications for parabolic flights with ESA Fly Your Thesis and ESA Cora programs.
• India Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017Advisory board membership for astronautics and aerospace. Participation in design and delivery of private Indian astronaut training and analogue space habitat. Creation of learning and education programs in rocket science and human spaceflight.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Collaboration with ESA Advanced Concepts Team on Subjective Time Perception experiment for analog astronauts. Participation in Moon Village concept workshops with International Lunar Exploration Working Group. ESA Space Radiation Summer School partnership. Research collaboration on polarized light influence on time perception.
• International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Bioastronautics research collaboration on Moon Village concept with Prof. Bernard Foing of ESA/ILEWG. Geo-biological campaigns in volcanic regions.
• SagescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMatt Harasymczuk works as trainer and consultant for Sages, delivering Python, software engineering, data science, and project management training courses to corporate clients.
• Modern School, New DelhiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery of STEM education workshop and human spaceflight training program for school students in India. Completed in 2018 with ongoing on-demand offerings.
• AGH University of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAATC uses AGH University campus as meeting location for trainings. Collaboration on academic programs and research supervision.
• Military Institute of Aviation Medicine (WIML)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for human centrifuge training programs conducted at WIML facility in Warsaw, Poland.
• DeepSpotcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiving training facility partnership in Mszczonów, Poland for professional and technical diving courses.
• Planet Divers, DahabcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDive center partnership in Dahab, Egypt for Red Sea diving expeditions and technical diving training.
• Deep Dive DubaiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocation for Neutral Buoyancy EVA training programs (NB-8 training scheduled for 2026).

Scale indicators31 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Project PoSSUM: Non-profit citizen-science astronaut training program offering suborbital research and analog astronaut courses. Most directly comparable to AATC's analog astronaut candidate training in scope, customer profile (aspiring private astronauts/researchers), and curriculum focus.
• NASTAR Center: U.S. commercial suborbital spaceflight training center offering high-G centrifuge, altitude chamber, and acceleration training for astronaut candidates. Directly comparable to AATC's human centrifuge and high-altitude chamber offerings for similar commercial astronaut and research customers.
• Survival Systems USA: Commercial extreme-environment training provider (submarine escape, hyperbaric, egress) cited as an IIAS/Project OTTER collaborator with AATC. Comparable in offering operational human-performance and egress training that overlaps with AATC's hyperbaric and survival components.
• Lunares Research Station: Analog lunar/Mars habitat run in Poland by founders with overlapping lineage to AATC (Agata Harasymczuk chaired its scientific council). Operates in the same analog mission niche with similar one- to multi-week isolation campaigns.

Emerging players

• Environmental Tectonics Corporation: Public company manufacturing human centrifuges, altitude chambers, and hyperbaric training systems used by military and aviation customers. Comparable as a supplier of the same physiological training equipment AATC delivers training on at WIML Warsaw.
• Deep Dive Dubai: World's deepest diving pool and NBL training facility used by AATC for EVA courses. Comparable as a specialized neutral-buoyancy training venue that increasingly competes for commercial spacewalk training customers.

Broad incumbents

• Bigelow Aerospace / Sierra Space: Established space-habitation company pursuing commercial orbital habitats (Genesis, Expandable Activity Module, Orbital Reef). Adjacent rather than direct: shares AATC's habitat-product ambition but operates at orbital scale rather than ground-based analog training.
• Axiom Space: Commercial space station developer offering private astronaut missions and orbital services. Broad incumbent in the same commercial human-spaceflight ecosystem AATC serves through its analog candidate training pipeline.
• Virgin Galactic: Public commercial suborbital spaceflight company with its own astronaut training program for ticket holders. Comparable as a downstream customer of analog astronaut preparation at scale far larger than AATC's niche.

Others

• Aquarius Reef Base (Florida International University): Only operational underwater saturation habitat globally, located in the Florida Keys. Functions both as a research partner (IIAS/AATC scientific diving collaboration) and as a competing underwater-habitat destination for analog saturation missions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/astro_matt
• GitHubgithub.com/astromatt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLHCrDQXiTO1uDSMcdY1xehP04_qj48pLt
• Facebookfacebook.com/matt.harasymczuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/astronaut-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about analog astronaut training center sp. z o.o.