All articles tagged with #exploration company
Europe’s space startup scene gets a bold push from Helene Huby’s Exploration Company, which just raised $450 million in Series C to advance the Nyx cargo spacecraft, a crewed vehicle, and the Storm engine for a reusable heavy-lift rocket, targeting a 2033 milestone and a 2028 engine prototype, as Europe seeks independent access to orbit and to keep pace with SpaceX and other international players.
The Exploration Company has signaled a move toward a reusable heavy-lift rocket, unveiling a concept named Yrene that would be powered by its Storm engines (nine on the first stage, each about 180 tonnes of thrust) and linked to its Nyx cargo/crew capsule. The project aims to bolster a European capability for launch and transport in space, with a Storm engine reveal planned for an event at the International Aerospace Exhibition. The company later clarified that Yrene is a long-term concept and that its near-term focus remains on capsule and propulsion technologies, and references to Yrene were removed from its website.
The Exploration Company conducted a test flight of its reentry capsule, Mission Possible, on SpaceX's Transporter-14 mission, achieving partial success by reentering and reestablishing communication but losing the spacecraft before splashdown, with plans to attempt a reflight based on ongoing investigations.