With 150 million euros raised, The Exploration Company affirms its ambitions in New Space. Its mission: to develop a reusable and profitable space cargo ship, opening a new era for European autonomy in space.
A record fundraising for a visionary project
The Exploration Company (TEC), a young Franco-German start-up founded in 2021, has just reached a major milestone. With 150 million euros raised, it signed one of the largest financing operations in the European space sector. This investment has attracted prestigious players, including two European sovereign funds – French Tech Sovereignty and Deep Tech and Climate – as well as private investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners and NGP Capital.
Since its creation, TEC has accumulated a total of 216 million euros, allowing rapid development of its projects. The current fundraising will be used to strengthen its teams, accelerate production and prepare for the launch of its Nyx Earth space cargo ship. The latter, selected by the European Space Agency (ESA), is intended to supply the International Space Station (ISS) from 2028.
TEC's approach is distinguished by its ability to anticipate market needs. Without waiting for initial public subsidies, it successfully tested a first prototype, Nyx Bikini, in 2023. This model confirmed the technical feasibility of its innovative concept.
Towards an autonomous European space future
TEC's objective is clear: to provide Europe with an independent space transportation capability. Currently, it is developing a second prototype called “Mission Possible”, planned for launch in 2025 via a Falcon 9 rocket. This 1.6 ton cargo ship, capable of transporting 300 kg of cargo, will carry out a test mission in low orbit before to return to Earth.
At the same time, TEC is preparing Nyx Earth, a 13.4-ton space freighter designed to transport up to 4 tons of cargo. This project, ultimately, aims to make space missions faster and up to ten times less expensive. With the support of strategic contracts, notably with private space stations such as Axiom and StarLab, TEC demonstrates its ability to establish itself on the global market.
Success is also based on a methodology inspired by SpaceX: rapid innovation, tolerance for failure and continuous prototyping. This strategy, combined with talent from large companies like Airbus, allows TEC to move forward quickly while reducing costs.
An ambition beyond the ISS
If Nyx Earth marks a key milestone, The Exploration Company sees further. In parallel with its development, it is designing Nyx Moon, an advanced version to serve the future Lunar Gateway lunar station. It also plans modules capable of supporting human missions and lunar bases.
With this vision, TEC aspires to revolutionize the European New Space. Its desire to create a habitable spacecraft shows that the team is not content to be a technical player. It aims to redefine Europe's role in the conquest of space.
