The Exploration Company. The Exploration Company (TEC) is a Franco-German spacecraft manufacturer. Founded in 2021, the company is based in Munich and Bordeaux, with additional offices in Italy, the United States (in Houston) and the MENA. TEC develops, manufactures and operates the Nyx space capsule for various clients, such as space agencies, other aerospace companies or businesses operating in other industries. Although its first missions will be cargo missions, Nyx is designed to ultimately also be able to carry humans.

History
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.

In November 2021, the company raised 5 million euros.

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

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.

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

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.

The company was selected, along with Thales Alenia Space in May 2024, for ESA's Commercial Cargo program. In June 2024, it signed a contract with Vast Space for cargo missions.

Hardware: Nyx spacecraft

Design

The Nyx 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. It will be capable of carrying 4,000 kg of payload into low Earth orbit 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. Nyx will be able to fly freely for up to six months, and will be capable of docking to space station in LEO.

Although the company's first missions are cargo missions, Nyx is designed to eventually be able to transport humans.

Nyx's interfaces are open, and its operating system is open-source software, which contributes to other space exploration projects whose technologies can inter-operate. 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. Nyx can be reused five times, and will be capable of in-orbit refueling. Nyx and uses green propellants for altitude control and docking (high-test peroxide), as well as cryogenic bio-methane & oxygen for reaching lunar destinations.

Development
The Exploration Company plans to develop two smaller-scale demonstrators. The first, nicknamed Bikini, is a capsule 60 centimeters in diameter weighing approximately 40 kilograms. 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. The second demonstrator, named Mission Possible, is a larger capsule measuring 2.5 m in diameter and weighing 1,600 kg, capable of carrying 300 kg of payload (already reserved by the European Space Agency, the French CNES and German DLR). It will be launched by a Falcon 9 in 2024, and validate a more controlled reentry with propulsion and landing via parachute. The full-scale version, named Mission Odyssey, is planned to fly in 2026.

Purpose
The company's target customers include space agencies, space stations as well as other space companies and non-space ones in other industries.

References 

Spacecraft manufacturers
Proposed European Space Agency spacecraft
 Private spaceflight companies
Aerospace companies of Europe
Cargo spacecraft
Reusable spacecraft
2021 establishments in Europe