Founded in 2021, The Exploration Company develops modular and reusable space vehicles. As its first product, as of February 2023, the company was developing the Nyx space capsule–that uses green propellants and an open-source operating system–for purposes such as payload carrying, resupply missions, and eventually space transportation for humans. According to the company, Nyx was slated to be the first privately funded space capsule. It was also slated to operate its first demonstration mission in 2023, with a full-sized launch planned for 2026. The full sized version is able to transport up to 4,000 kg to space, spend 6 months in orbit, and bring back payloads of up to 2,000 kg at EUR 20,000 (~USD 22,000) per kg.
Key customers and partnerships
The company has booked a slot with the SpaceX Falcon 9 mission slated to launch in 2023 to carry a 1,600kg demonstration capsule that would showcase propulsion and parachute-aided re-entry while carrying payloads for clients including the ESA.
Funding and Financials
In February 2023 , the company raised EUR 40 million (~USD 44 million) in a Series A funding round co-led by EQT Ventures and Red River West, with the participation of Promus Ventures and other investors. The funds raised were to be used to finance the company’s upcoming demonstration missions and operational costs as well as to hire more engineers.
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