Company:The Exploration Company
The Exploration Company is a European spacecraft manufacturer.[1][2] Based in Munich, Germany and Bordeaux, France, the company develops, manufactures and operates the Nyx space capsule for space agencies and space stations as well as both space and non-space companies in other industries.[3][4][5] Although the company's first missions will be cargo missions, Nyx is designed to ultimately also be able to carry humans.[6][7][8]
Founding
The Exploration Company was founded in July 2021 by a group of space engineers who had worked together on European space programs at Airbus and ArianeGroup, including Orion-ESM and ATV.[9][10][11]
Interface and systems
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.[12][13][14] The Nyx capsule is modular in nature with several configuration options for different mission objectives and destinations, while being launcher-agnostic.[15][16][17] The Exploration Company is also pioneering sustainable space exploration: Nyx is reusable, can be refueled in orbit, and uses green propellants for altitude control and docking, as well as cryogenic bio-methane & oxygen for reaching lunar destinations.[18][19][20]
Personell
Heléne Huby is Founder and CEO of The Exploration Company.
Commercial information
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 manned 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. [21]
References
- ↑ Federation, International Astronautical. "IAF : The Exploration Company GmbH" (in en). https://www.iafastro.org/membership/all-members/the-exploration-company-gmbh.html.
- ↑ "The Exploration Company Selects Benchmark Space Systems Propulsion System To Power its ‘Mission Possible’ Demonstrator Flight in 2024" (in en). https://www.benchmarkspacesystems.com/news/post/the-exploration-company.
- ↑ https://spacewatch.global/2023/02/the-exploration-company-secures-e40-million-funding/
- ↑ "Hogan Lovells advises various investors in the €40 million fundraising of The Exploration Company" (in en). https://www.hoganlovells.com/en/news/hogan-lovells-beraet-investoren-bei-40-mio-euro-finanzierungsrunde-von-the-exploration-company.
- ↑ "Raumfahrt: Raumschiff-Start-up sammelt 40 Millionen Euro ein" (in de). https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/it-internet/raumfahrt-raumschiff-start-up-sammelt-40-millionen-euro-ein/28953226.html.
- ↑ "The Exploration Company" (in en-US). https://www.eu-startups.com/directory/the-exploration-company-2/.
- ↑ Neuhauser, Alan (2023-02-01). "The Exploration Company raises €40M for green space capsule" (in en). https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2023/02/01/exploration-company-40m-green-space-capsule.
- ↑ Nouvelle, L'Usine (2023-02-01) (in fr). The Exploration Company, la start-up franco-allemande qui veut révolutionner la logistique spatiale. https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/the-exploration-company-la-start-up-franco-allemande-qui-veut-revolutionner-la-logistique-spatiale.N2095456.
- ↑ Alamalhodaei, Aria (2022-07-28). "The Exploration Company is developing a brand new reusable orbital spacecraft" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/28/the-exploration-company-is-developing-a-brand-new-reusable-orbital-spacecraft/.
- ↑ Root, Al. "SpaceX Isn't the Only Space Company That Can Raise Money" (in en-US). https://www.barrons.com/articles/exploration-company-space-capital-raising-51675264456.
- ↑ Rainbow, Jason (2023-02-02). "European startup gets $44 million for space station transportation vehicles" (in en-US). https://spacenews.com/european-startup-gets-44-million-for-space-station-transportation-vehicles/.
- ↑ FinSMEs (2023-02-01). "The Exploration Company Raises €40M in Series A Funding" (in en-US). https://www.finsmes.com/2023/02/the-exploration-company-raises-e40m-in-series-a-funding.html.
- ↑ Kulu, Erik. "The Exploration Company - Factories in Space" (in en). https://www.factoriesinspace.com/-.
- ↑ "Germany-based The Exploration Company bags €40.5M from EQT Ventures, others to advance space democratisation efforts | Silicon Canals" (in en-US). 2023-02-01. https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/the-exploration-company-bags-40-5m/.
- ↑ "NYX | The Exploration Company" (in en-GB). https://bsgn.esa.int/service/nyx-the-exploration-company/.
- ↑ "The Exploration Company" (in en). https://vsquared.vc/portfolio/the-exploration-company/.
- ↑ "SpaceX challenger raises €40m to build Europe’s first reusable rocket" (in en-US). 2023-02-01. https://sifted.eu/articles/spacex-challenger-europe-rocket-exploration/.
- ↑ "The Exploration Company | Space Impulse" (in en). https://app.spaceimpulse.com/o/the-exploration-company.
- ↑ "The Exploration Company Raises €40m For Reusable Space Capsule | Aviation Week Network". https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/commercial-space/exploration-company-raises-eu40m-reusable-space-capsule.
- ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (2022-02-23). "The Exploration Company aims to offer Europe independent access to space" (in en-US). https://europeanspaceflight.com/the-exploration-company-aims-to-offer-europe-independent-access-to-space/.
- ↑ "Signature of industrial contracts for the consolidation of the common building blocks for future European reusable launch systems" (in en). 2023-05-29. https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Signature_of_industrial_contracts_for_the_consolidation_of_the_common_building_blocks_for_future_European_reusable_launch_systems.
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