The Exploration Company (TEC) is a Franco-German spacecraft manufacturer founded in 2021 with the mission to democratize space exploration. They are developing, manufacturing, and operating the Nyx space capsule, a modular and reusable orbital vehicle designed for cargo transport to destinations like the ISS and future commercial space stations, with future capabilities for human transport and lunar missions. TEC aims to provide affordable and sustainable space transportation services and has secured contracts with major players like ESA and NASA. Key words: Space capsule, reusable spacecraft, cargo transport, space logistics, Nyx, ESA, NASA.
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The Exploration Company (TEC) has been contracted by the DLR to carry scientific experiments with a total mass of 160 kilograms aboard the Nyx capsule.
The Exploration Company raised $160,000,000 on 2024-11-18 to fund development of its Nyx vehicle.
The Exploration Company raised a $160,000,000 Series B round from European investors, announced on 2024-11-18.
The Exploration Company plans for later versions of Nyx to operate in cislunar space.
The Exploration Company has a backlog of more than $750,000,000 with commercial station companies and space agencies.
The $160,000,000 Series B round is the largest Series B by a space company in Europe and brings The Exploration Company’s total raised capital to $230,000,000.
The Exploration Company will use a different thermal protection system on future Nyx spacecraft that has already been tested on the ground.
The $160,000,000 Series B funding will support development of The Exploration Company’s Nyx cargo spacecraft.
The Exploration Company raised $160,000,000 in a Series B funding round on 2024-11-18.
The European Space Agency awarded The Exploration Company a contract in May worth 25,000,000 EUR to begin design studies of a cargo transportation vehicle to transport cargo to and from the International Space Station.
The Exploration Company has announced cargo transport contracts with Axiom Space, Starlab Space, and Vast for their planned space stations.
Vast and The Exploration Company signed a cargo services agreement for a 2028 mission to Vast’s second Haven space station.
The inaugural Ariane 6 flight will deploy two reentry capsules, one developed by ArianeGroup and the other developed by The Exploration Company.
The Exploration Company won an ESA award to establish a commercial cargo spacecraft.
The Exploration Company implemented three significant modifications and design enhancements to its Huracan engine in February 2024.
The Exploration Company was selected by the European Space Agency on 2025-05-22 for an initial study contract as one of two companies for a commercial cargo service to support the ISS and commercial stations.
Starlab Space announced a separate agreement with The Exploration Company covering three cargo missions to and from Starlab using the Nyx vehicle.
The Exploration Company completed a $40,500,000 Series A funding round in February 2023, which was a record Series A round for the European space tech sector.
The Exploration Company signed a cargo services pre-booking agreement with Axiom Space in September 2023.
The Exploration Company completed Green Thruster testing in Poland in March 2024.