The Exploration Company has signed a contract with Arianespace to launch an initial demonstration mission of its Nyx cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.
While neither company has publicly announced the contract, the French Presidency published an official list of agreements alongside the International Space Summit being held in Paris on 9 and 10 September. According to the document, Arianespace signed a contract with The Exploration Company for the “first demonstration mission” of Nyx under the European Space Agency’s Autonomous LEO Accelerated Demo Docking to ISS Node (ALADDIN) initiative.
ALADDIN is the second phase of ESA’s commercial cargo programme, originally launched in 2023 as the LEO Cargo Return Service initiative. The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space were each awarded €25 million in May 2024 for the programme’s first phase. In March 2026, ESA opened the call for the initiative’s second phase under its new name.
The French Presidency’s document explicitly links The Exploration Company’s Ariane 6 launch contract to ALADDIN. However, ESA has yet to announce the award of any Phase 2 contracts, meaning the summit document appears to be the first public indication that The Exploration Company has been selected for an ALADDIN demonstration mission.
Selecting Ariane 6 to launch the mission is also notable because ESA has built a significant financial incentive into ALADDIN to encourage participants to use European launch vehicles. As European Spaceflight reported in March, ESA told prospective bidders that proposals using Ariane 6 or another European launcher for their demonstration missions would be eligible for an additional incentive worth up to €50 million. By selecting Ariane 6 for its Nyx demonstration mission, The Exploration Company has positioned itself to take advantage of the additional funding if it has indeed been awarded a Phase 2 contract.
The apparent ALADDIN award comes just days after The Exploration Company announced a $450 million Series C funding round to support the development of Nyx and its Storm rocket engine. To date, the company has raised approximately $680 million.
