A European startup’s spacecraft made it to orbit. Now it’s lost at sea.
The Exploration Company, that seeks to develop orbital spacecraft for cargo, and eventually humans, took a step forward this week with a test flight that saw its Mission Possible vehicle fly successfully in orbit before making a controlled reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
It lost contact a few minutes before touchdown in the ocean.
#Spacecraft #ExplorationCompany #MissionPossible #Europe #Space
🇪🇺 #Nyx is compatible with #Ariane6, #Falcon9, #Neutron, #H3, and #GSLV. The "#Bikini" reentry demonstrator was intended to demonstrate the company's #reentry technology. Unfortunately, #Ariane6's upper stage failed on its deorbit burn, so the Bikini capsule remains stuck in space. The current timeline for Nyx's debut is 📆 2028 https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/11/how-real-is-this-european-space-startup-that-aims-to-launch-astronauts
🇪🇺 #ESA has selected #ArianeGroup, #GMVAerospace and Defence, #MTAerospace, #SABAerospace, and The #ExplorationCompany to develop in-orbit fuel storage and refilling ⛽ capabilities. https://europeanspaceflight.com/esa-selects-companies-to-develop-in-orbit-fuel-storage-and-refilling-tech
🇪🇺 #Europe’s space sector has started to respond to #SpaceX’s domination of the world space launch market, although progress has been slow ⏳ and uneven. Last month, #ESA selected four companies — #ArianeGroup, #RocketFactory Augsburg (RFA), #IsarAerospace, and The #ExplorationCompany — to help develop reusable ♻️ launch vehicle technology https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/11/esa-arianespace-crossroads