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The Exploration Company

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The Exploration Company
IndustryAerospace
FoundedJuly 2021; 4 years ago (2021-07)
Headquarters
Munich
,
Germany
Key people
Hélène Huby (CEO)
ProductsNyx
Number of employees
200
Websitewww.exploration.space

The Exploration Company (TEC) is a European aerospace company[1] developing reusable spacecraft and space logistics solutions to advance sustainable exploration beyond Earth. Founded in 2021, TEC is headquartered in Munich and Bordeaux, with additional offices in Italy, the United States (in Houston) and the MENA region. The company embraces a pan-European identity.

TEC’s main project is developing Nyx, a family of modular, reusable spacecraft designed for missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), lunar orbit, and the Moon.[2] Its vehicles aim to serve cargo transport, re-entry missions, and future human spaceflight needs.[1]

History

[edit]

The Exploration Company was founded in July 2021 by Hélène Huby (CEO) with a group of space engineers who had worked together on European space programs at Airbus and ArianeGroup, including Orion-ESM and ATV.[3][4][5]

In November 2021, the company raised 5 million euros.[6][7]

In October 2022, The Exploration Company was among the space firms selected to be financed by the "France 2030" investment plan for its work on its liquid methane rocket engine.[8]

In February 2023, the company announced a fundraising of 40 million euros to develop its Nyx capsule, successfully completed,[5] making it the largest series A in the space industry in Europe.[9]

On May 29, 2023, the Exploration Company was awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to study solutions for future European single-use and reusable spacecraft, covering micro-mini, medium, heavy and crewed applications. In total, ESA awarded four contracts on this topic. The other three went to the companies ArianeGroup, Avio and SENER. These four contracts are intended to contribute to the realization of ESA's Vision 2030+, which was initiated in 2021. It aims to create small, medium, and heavy support vessels based on a common set of reusable, standardized modules.[10]

In July 2023, the company was once again one of the space companies that secured financing from the same French state investment plan; it did so this time for its DEMARLUS project.[11]

In September 2023, the company announced an agreement with Axiom Space for the cargo supply of its station in the form of a pre-contract subject to validation of technological milestones during the development of its spacecraft.[12]

In May 2024, the company was selected, along with Thales Alenia Space, for ESA's Commercial Cargo program.[13] In November of that year, the company raised $160 million in Series B funding for the development of its Nyx cargo vehicle.[14]

In June 2024, the company signed a contract with Vast Space for cargo missions.[15]

In February 2025, the German aerospace agency DLR announced that it had signed a contract with TEC to serve as an anchor customer for its microgravity research service using the Nyx vehicle.[16]

Nyx Earth spacecraft

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Design

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The Nyx Earth vehicle is composed of a cylindrical service module and a conical space capsule. It measures 4 meters in diameter with a total mass of 8 tonnes.[5] It will be capable of carrying 4,000 kg of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO) for a maximum of 6 months, with up to 2,500 kg of pressurized cargo and 100 kg of unpressurized cargo being onboard the vehicle. The service module of the vehicle will be able to transport 1,400 kg of unpressurized cargo.[7] Nyx Earth will be able to fly freely for up to six months, and will be capable of docking to a space station in LEO.

Although the company's first missions are cargo-only, Nyx Earth is designed to eventually be able to transport humans.[17] The crewed version, capable of transporting 4 to 5 people to LEO, is expected to be available in mid-2030s.[18][19]

Nyx Earth's interfaces are open, and its operating system is open-source software, which contributes to other space exploration projects whose technologies can inter-operate.[20][21][22] The Nyx capsule is modular in nature, with several configuration options for different mission objectives and destinations, while also being capable of launching on multiple vehicles.[23][24][25] Nyx Earth can be reused five times,[26] and will be capable of in-orbit refueling. Nyx Earth uses green propellants for altitude control and docking (high-test peroxide), as well as cryogenic bio-methane & oxygen for reaching lunar destinations.[27][28][29]

Development

[edit]

The Exploration Company developed two smaller-scale demonstrators. The first, nicknamed Bikini, is a capsule 60 centimeters in diameter weighing approximately 40 kilograms.[5][30] It was launched on the inaugural flight of Ariane 6 to validate the general profile of the capsule and thermal protection but it never reentered as the upper stage failed to deorbit.[31] The second demonstrator, named Mission Possible, was a larger capsule measuring 2.5 m in diameter and weighing 1,600 kg, capable of carrying 300 kg of payload (reserved by the European Space Agency, the French CNES, and German DLR). Intended to validate a more controlled reentry with propulsion and landing via parachute,[32][5][30] it was launched by the Falcon 9 rideshare mission Transporter-14 in June 2025,[33][34] operated nominally in orbit, re-entered the atmosphere, and re-established comunication after the expected re-entry blackout. However, communication with the capsule was lost before expected splash down. The company plans to re-fly the mission.[35][36] The full-scale version, named Mission Odyssey, is planned to fly in 2026.[37]

Nyx Cislunar spacecraft

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The Nyx Cislunar vehicle, of similar design to Nyx Earth, is proposed to deliver up to 5,500 kg to lunar orbit and up to 2,000 kg back to Earth.[38]

Nyx Moon spacecraft

[edit]

The Nyx Moon lunar lander, of simple cylindrical design without the re-entry capsule, is proposed to deliver cargo to lunar surface.[38] It will use the company's GOX/GCH4-powered Breeze thrusters. This engine was test fired for the first time in July 2025.[2] As of 2024, the maiden flight of Nyx Moon was expected to take place in 2028.[39]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "The Exploration Company". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  2. ^ a b Parsonson, Andrew (2025-07-17). "The Exploration Company Tests Thruster for Nyx Moon Lunar Lander". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  3. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (2022-07-28). "The Exploration Company is developing a brand new reusable orbital spacecraft". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  4. ^ Root, Al. "SpaceX Isn't the Only Space Company That Can Raise Money". Barron's. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e Rainbow, Jason (2023-02-02). "European startup gets $44 million for space station transportation vehicles". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  6. ^ Damien Copitet (19 March 2023). "The Exploration Company lève 40 millions d'euros". www.planetegrandesecoles.com (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2023..
  7. ^ a b Parsonson, Andrew (2022-02-23). "The Exploration Company aims to offer Europe independent access to space". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  8. ^ "France 2030 : Présentation des premiers résultats du volet spatial" (PDF). www.gouvernement.fr (in French). 6 October 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2023..
  9. ^ Vincent Lamigeon (1 February 2023). "Nyx, la capsule spatiale européenne qui veut concurrencer SpaceX". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2023..
  10. ^ "Signature of industrial contracts for the consolidation of the common building blocks for future European reusable launch systems". ESA. 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  11. ^ "Présentation des résultats du volet spatial de France 2030" (PDF). www.gouvernement.fr (in French). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023..
  12. ^ Michel Cabirol (12 September 2023). "Spatial : Et le jour de gloire est arrivé pour The Exploration Company". La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 13 September 2023..
  13. ^ Foust, Jeff (2024-05-22). "ESA selects Thales Alenia Space and The Exploration Company for commercial cargo program". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  14. ^ Foust, Jeff (2024-11-18). "The Exploration Company raises $160 million for Nyx cargo vehicle". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  15. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (2024-06-11). "Vast Contracts The Exploration Company for Cargo Mission". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  16. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (2025-02-20). "The Exploration Company Secures DLR as an Anchor Customer". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  17. ^ Hassan Meddah (1 February 2023). "The Exploration Company, la start-up franco-allemande qui veut révolutionner la logistique spatiale". L'Usine nouvelle (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Un intérieur façon SpaceX pour la future capsule européenne Nyx". Ciel & Espace (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  19. ^ Maglione, Mariasole (2025-06-17). "The Exploration Company ha presentato il piano per una versione con equipaggio della capsula Nyx". AstroSpace (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  20. ^ FinSMEs (2023-02-01). "The Exploration Company Raises €40M in Series A Funding". FinSMEs. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  21. ^ Kulu, Erik. "The Exploration Company - Factories in Space". www.factoriesinspace.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  22. ^ "Germany-based The Exploration Company bags €40.5M from EQT Ventures, others to advance space democratisation efforts | Silicon Canals". 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  23. ^ "NYX | The Exploration Company". BSGN. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  24. ^ "The Exploration Company". Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  25. ^ "SpaceX challenger raises €40m to build Europe's first reusable rocket". Sifted. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  26. ^ Neuhauser, Alan (2023-02-01). "The Exploration Company raises €40M for green space capsule". Axios. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  27. ^ "The Exploration Company | Space Impulse". app.spaceimpulse.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  28. ^ Garrett Reim. "The Exploration Company Raises €40m For Reusable Space Capsule | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  29. ^ "The Exploration Company Selects Benchmark Space Systems Propulsion System To Power its 'Mission Possible' Demonstrator Flight in 2024". www.benchmarkspacesystems.com. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  30. ^ a b Alexandre Laurent (20 January 2023). "Espace : The Exploration Company veut diviser par 4 le prix de la logistique spatiale". www.placeco.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2023..
  31. ^ Beil, Adrian (2024-07-09). "Ariane 6 successfully launches on maiden flight from French Guiana". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  32. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (2025-05-07). "The Exploration Company Ships Completed Mission Possible Capsule". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  33. ^ "Live coverage: SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 rocket on Transporter-14 smallsat rideshare mission – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  34. ^ "Nyx Mission Possible". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  35. ^ "Mission Possible Status Update - Partial Success. | The Exploration Company". Archived from the original on 2025-06-24. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  36. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (2025-06-24). "The Exploration Company Declares Mission Possible a "Partial Success"". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  37. ^ "The Exploration Company Secures €40 Million Funding". Spacewatch Global. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Nyx | The Exploration Company". www.exploration.space. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  39. ^ "CNES: THE EXPLORATION COMPANY" (PDF). cnes.fr. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
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