Underground space habitats & safety
There is no doubt that the next ambitious space program, to which the global scientific and technical community will contribute, is the development of space habitats for long-term use. Therefore, we have to design experimental setups to develop and test aspects that contribute to such a livable space habitat.
Designing space habitats on Earth faces at least five fundamental challenges for long-term space exploration: simulation of artificial gravity, development of efficient radiation protection, design of sustainable nutrition, development of infrastructure on-site with (scarce) available resources under extreme environmental conditions and finding cost-efficient solutions.
We are pleased to carry out your project
Where the underground meets outer space
At the Hagerbach Test Gallery, visions become reality and projects push the boundaries of imagination – from strategies for CO₂ reduction to hydrogen storage and space research.
In December 2024, the federal government designated our fascinating tunnel as a research infrastructure of national importance.
Hagerbach Test Gallery allows simulating conditions to test and develop solutions for all five fundamental challenges on different scales.
Examples include:
- the creation of centrifugal effects for artificial gravity
- textile tests to prove radiation protection
- underground farming for sustainable nutrition
- and providing test fields for robots for space habitat exploration
Current activities
Mars Habitat Challenge
The Hagerbach Test Gallery seeks innovative startups to create solutions for the ambitious concept of habitation on Mars or other celestial bodies.
Solutions encompass products/services facilitating sustainable living conditions on Mars, spanning construction, energy, environmental management, health, transportation, food production, and communication.
The overarching objective is to establish a self-sufficient habitat guided by circular economy principles.
Mission Earth First
The Hagerbach Test Gallery serves as a founding partner of Mission Earth First, an initiative focused on bridging underground and outer space environments. Mission Earth First boasts a robust multi-disciplinary partner network, collectively embodying expertise in innovation, inspiration, and the demonstration of underground spaces.
Collaborating with new partners from the space industry, our goal is to discover innovative approaches to enhance the resilience, sustainability, and future readiness of life on Earth and future space missions.
ESA BIC Switzerland
The Hagerbach Test Gallery is a testing ground and one of the partners of a broad network who help supporting ESA BIC Switzerland. The ESA Business Incubation Centre Switzerland (ESA BIC CH) is a nationwide initiative powered by the European Space Agency (ESA) and one of the world’s leading universities: ETH Zurich.
Underground Green Farming
The SCAUT project 'Underground Green Farming' addresses the development challenge of food security by growing food underground. Utilizing underground spaces ensures stable climate conditions, eliminating the need for extensive cooling or heating.
Additionally, sustainable closed-loop technologies enable efficient water recycling, resulting in a significantly lower CO2 footprint compared to conventional farming methods above ground or in greenhouses.
Robotics
Robotic technologies, like remote-controlled vehicles or autonomous devices, have great potential for use in real-world situations, especially in surveillance and post-disaster scenarios. These technologies can assist rescue workers by providing effective solutions while reducing their risks. However, developing robots suitable for rescue work requires meeting specific criteria such as durability, speed, versatility, and ease of use, which current robots may not fully address.
Hagerbach provides the infrastructure and controlled environment to support the development of robots in a near-real-scale setting. The Hagerbach Test Gallery offers space for, e.g., ground and indoor aerial robots, marine systems, and testing human-robot interfaces, evaluating how well they meet the needs of extreme conditions."
Example of a current Robotics test: Together with ETH Zurich, ANYbotics used their four-legged robots ANYmal to autonomously explore our tunnel system. It made a significant contribution to the CERBERUS team winning first place in the Darpa Subterranean Challenge!
More at the underground future lab:
For around 60 years, the renowned Swiss Amberg Group has been a leader in engineering and surveying services for railway, metro, underground and specialised civil engineering.
The family-owned company is an innovative knowledge, engineering and technology provider in the field of logistics and infrastructure for smart cities, hubs and networks. We provide outstanding solutions for our customers through innovatively combining above-ground and underground space utilisation.
Amberg Engineering
Engineering services for the construction of underground infrastructure
Planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of railway, road, utility and metro tunnels, as well as caverns
Amberg Technologies
Systems and solutions for railway and tunnel surveying
Acquisition, evaluation and refinement of measurement data in infrastructure construction
Amberg Infra 7D
Digital services in the infrastructure environment
Geo-monitoring, mobile mapping, digital construction, geomatics and inspection services
Amberg Loglay
Smart city and construction logistics solutions
Sophisticated logistics solutions for efficient and future-orientated construction projects
Amberg Infocon
High-quality design and BIM services
Design, BIM, consulting, PMC and IT solutions for architecture, engineering and construction
VersuchsStollen Hagerbach
The underground future lab
Extensive underground research infrastructure for testing and development, testing laboratory for building materials, training centre and event facilities
QAECY
Intelligent information
Analysing documents and data with artificial intelligence to create a unified view of reality
Your underground experts
- Rail tunnels, including high-speed rail
- Metro lines
- Tunnel and shaft infrastructure
- Caverns with large cross-sections
- Energy storage and utilities
Engineering at its best
- Numerous services for your entire project cycle, from feasibility, planning and construction to renewal of your infrastructure
- Trained specialists and experts in planning and design, geotechnics, and project management
Infrastructure experts
- Rail, metro and tunnels
- Underground spaces
- Mining and shafts
Systems and solutions
- Slab track, tamping, mapping, surveying and inspections
- Tunnel machine guidance
- Tunnel profile measurements and stakeout
- Undulation
- Layer thickness control
- Surface inspection
- Geological predicting during tunnel excavation
- Surveying, data analysis and maintenance
Digital infrastructure experts
- Data acquisition and processing
- Monitoring
- Measurement of geotechnical tasks
- Maintenance and operation
- Process optimisation and digital continuity
Solutions and services
- Geo-monitoring
- Mobile mapping
- Geomatics
- Inspection services
- Digital construction
Smart cities and construction logistics experts
- Manage stakeholders across the value chain
- Improve construction mobility in dense cities
- Unlock up to 50% of the true potential of assets
- Integrate circular economy principles into construction
- Use smart data throughout the supply chain
Solutions for construction sites
- End-to-end digital logistics processes
- Rapid prototyping and smart sensors (IoT)
- Logistics concept and manual (3D/4D)
- Integration of logistics data
- Logistics insights management (LIM)
- Construction logistics management (CLM)
- Management of external hubs and consolidation
Design and construction experts
- Design and BIM integration
- Coordination between different disciplines
- Information workflow setup
- Facility management and BIM integration
- Visualisation
Services
- BIM implementation and creation of models
- Clash detection, coordination and clash resolution
- Construction documentation and shop drawings
- 4D simulation and 5D estimation
- Underground utilities
- Laser scan to as-built models
- IT solutions – BIM integration with FM application
VersuchsStollen Hagerbach - The underground future lab
Recently named a research infrastructure of national importance, we have been providing the space and expertise to turn visions into innovations for over 50 years.
Your analysis and testing requirements
- Real scale test and prototype environment
- Analysis of construction material
- Training facility
- Unique location for your event
Our facilities and services
- Various test sites, test procedures and management
- Concrete and rock laboratory
- Training environment and syllabus
- Seminar rooms, event cavern and restaurant
AI agent as a service for the construction industry
- AI agent dedicated to the AEC industry
- Easy access to complex project information
- Helps in taking confident, informed decisions
- Opens data silos, unlocks all content and uncovers context
- Effortless interaction with your most valuable asset – your collective knowledge
Solution and services
- AI agent as a service
- Strategic consulting and training
- Development of tailored solutions