The Exploration Company

Through our role in EU-RISE, we contributed to laying the technical and operational groundwork for Europe’s future in-space servicing and manufacturing ecosystem. Congratulations to all EU-RISE partners on this achievement. The robotic capabilities developed through the project will help enable a new generation of serviceable, upgradeable, and more sustainable orbital infrastructure across Europe. We’re proud to have contributed to the effort.

Preparing #Nyx hardware for the thermal conditions of space: Thermal Vacuum Testing (#TVAC) completed on our Engineering Model tank. During the campaign, TEC Thermal, AIT, and Propulsion teams verified the tank’s thermal design, validated heater operations, and gathered the data for the next phase of the program ahead of the Thermal Control System Critical Design Review. The campaign also demonstrated better-than-expected insulation performance, helping maintain stable conditions throughout testing. Together with our partners HEMERIA and ArianeGroup, our teams successfully carried out the campaign, including overnight operations during key phases of testing. Colleagues also travelled from France to support overnight activities, reflecting the team spirit and responsiveness behind Nyx development. As Pierre-Emmanuel Richard, Principal Thermal Engineer, put it, the campaign was “a strong example of the collaborative environment we are building at TEC.” Thanks to everyone involved for the commitment and adaptability shown throughout the test series.    #futureofspace #spaceengineering #thermalengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus

Putting our design for a new commercial space capsule through representative launch conditions: vibration testing on our #Nyx Structural Test Model (#STM) at European Space Agency - ESA ESTEC in the Netherlands.    Across 69 runs over 4 weeks on ESA’s Hydra shaker, we tested multiple payload configurations to refine the models supporting Nyx flight development and better understand the vehicle’s behaviour during launch conditions.  In the three months following delivery of the pressurised compartment, our teams completed integration, pressure testing, reintegration activities, and the vibration test series on the full-scale structural test article. This phase brought together engineering, manufacturing, integration, analysis, and testing activities across a shared European ecosystem. It relied on close coordination between our engineers, European Test Services B.V. and European Space Agency - ESA teams at ESTEC throughout the programme, and we’re grateful to everyone involved along the way.    #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗡𝘆𝘅 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲‐𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺. Our mechanisms team completed the test campaign at our partner TÜV SÜD facility in Turin, actuating the Hold and Release Mechanism that keeps the capsule and service module locked during flight and separates them during atmospheric re-entry. We validated three key objectives, including clean rod retraction, controlled shock transmission during release, and overall system behaviour. As Matthias Favrel, Principal Mechanism Development, put it: “Testing always requires an-all hands-on deck approach to problem-solving. Presented with a potential delay one morning, the team rapidly turned around a critical titanium part, completed checks, transport, and assembly, and fired the mechanism that same evening, keeping us on track."  Huge thanks to everyone from the Mechanisms and Vehicle Design teams and to our partners SIPAL S.p.A., TÜV SÜD and SOTEREM who helped us make this happen under such a tight timeline. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring 

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗡𝘆𝘅 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. This could seem like a minor update, but these valves sit at the very core of Nyx’s propellant loops, regulating its pressure and fuel-feed circuits. The fuel-side valve met performance targets on its first build, while a micro-leak on the gas-side unit surfaced during pressure cycling and was fixed during the same sprint without slowing pace. The data package locks in the design and materials of the flight-representative valves, clears them for thermal, vibration, and lifetime trials in Munich; keeping Nyx firmly on track for its 2028 demo flight. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗛𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲–𝗼𝘅𝘆𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Supported by the European Space Agency - ESA STEP-2 programme, our team completed its first hot-fire test campaign on #Huracan. TEC’s E-pump fed reusable cryogenic LOX‑methane engine for lunar landers and cislunar transport vehicles ran 26 tests, reaching 375 seconds of burn time and full throttle range (50–100%). For the first time, we tested Huracan as a complete integrated system at Airborne Engineering Ltd’s facilities in the UK. More than fifty of our teammates across propulsion, software, manufacturing, AIT, logistics, and test operations contributed to this milestone. Thank you to everyone involved. Next step: Development Model 2 (DM2), with a flight-representative engine on a dedicated test bench in Bordeaux. More details on the test campaign - and what we learned - here: https://lnkd.in/dMuNrGqz #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

#Nyx parachute control system: successfully validated across all tested conditions. Critical for a safe splashdown, our #Avionics and Hardware-in-the-Loop (#HIL) teams worked on the #CDAQ (Control and Data Acquisition unit), which manages our capsule’s parachute deployment. Designed with built-in redundancy to ensure reliable parachute deployment even in case of partial system failure, the CDAQ was tested across scenarios including sensor loss, controller faults, and power interruptions. Telemetry was also validated for real-time monitoring. “What really shaped this campaign was an early decision to go beyond standard testing. We pushed for a real-world flight test, got internal approval, and made it happen. It was unconventional, but also one of the most rewarding parts of the campaign.” says Mattia Nardi, Lead Engineer of the campaign. A big thank you to Mattia Nardi, Stefano Fidia Siontas, Wojciech Niedźwiecki and Antoine Pallois for making this campaign happen. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #Joinus #wearehiring 

What would it take to support a long-term presence on the Moon?  We will be working on this question with SAGA Space Architects and Space Applications Services NV/SA, following our selection by the European Space Agency - ESA for the Lunar Remote Camp Study (#LRCS). The goal is to explore a deployable lunar shelter that could support robotic activities today, and eventually enable short crewed missions.  This means a system that must withstand temperature swings, radiation, dust, and micrometeoroids, while still enabling power, communications, and data handling.  Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eUVGd4jT  #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #HardwareInTheLoop #LunarExploration

Extensive testing, one clear result: the #Nyx Active Thermal Control System (#ATCS) is performing as expected. Our team ran a full test campaign (#ATCSEM) on the ATCS test bench, validating the system end-to-end, including hydraulic and thermal characterization of the pump, mixing valve, and cold plates. They also validated the control algorithm, confirming stable temperature regulation, and enabling final tuning for flight. "Our team spent weeks not only designing and building the ATCS but also thinking about every possible failure mode for this test campaign. So, when it behaved as expected, it was a big moment for the team, and a real relief." says Atdhe Kycyku, one of the main engineers behind the ATCS campaign. The ATCS hardware has now been shipped to Belgium for thermal vacuum (#TVAC) testing on a dedicated bench, where it will face space-like conditions: vacuum and extreme temperature cycles. A big thank you to everyone involved in this campaign. Want to help us shape the future of space? Many roles are open across the organization. Apply here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gqGiR7Wu #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

💡 How best to remove large, unprepared objects from low-Earth orbit? ESA awards 5 contracts for phase 0 of our new Erase mission. As we want to become space‑debris neutral by 2030, European Space Agency - ESA’s Space Safety programme is advancing the Erase mission’s phase 0 activity. It is meant to assess mission and system concepts for the active removal of large, unprepared objects in low-Earth Orbit (LEO). Building on over a decade of Clean Space and Space Safety initiatives, the Erase activity will investigate technical, technological and programmatic solutions for the removal of big targets such as METOP and Sentinel satellites from LEO. At the same time, it aims to identify capabilities to enable recurrent debris removal services. 🏆 We’re pleased to announce that five contracts have been awarded for this Phase 0 with the following companies as primes: OHB SE, The Exploration Company, Leonardo, GMV, Airbus Defence and Space. Through close collaboration with European industry and external stakeholder such as the European Commission and EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency continues to take concrete steps towards ensuring the long‑term safety and sustainability of space activities.