The Exploration Company has completed a critical milestone in the development of its Mission Possible capsule, successfully simulating the mission’s launcher release phase.
Founded in 2021, The Exploration Company is developing a modular spacecraft called Nyx that will initially be used to ferry cargo to and from the International Space Station. In the future, the company aims to expand its mission to include transporting crew to and from low Earth orbit, as well as delivering cargo to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon.
Before attempting an inaugural flight of Nyx, The Exploration Company will conduct a demonstration mission using a sub-scale demonstrator called Mission Possible. While the capsule will be used to validate key technology for Nyx, it will also carry several payloads for customers from around the world. Mission Possible is slated to be launched in 2025 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
On 10 December, The Exploration Company announced the completion of a key testing milestone in the development of its Mission Possible capsule. The company simulated the rotation the capsule will experience after its release from the launch vehicle. This test successfully confirmed that the capsule’s onboard systems responded appropriately, ensuring proper alignment for reentry.
Once launched, the Mission Possible capsule will remain attached to the Falcon 9 upper stage until after it has completed its deorbit burn. The capsule will then be separated to proceed with its reentry phase, which will include several reorientation manoeuvres.
In addition to conducting testing of the capsule itself, The Exploration Company has also been testing subsystems. On 3 December, the company revealed that it had used a car to test how the capsule’s navigation algorithms and sensors behaved in a real-world scenario. According to the update, the Inertial Measurement Unit, the GNSS receiver, and the Onboard Computer were “mounted in the trunk of a car and taken for a spin around Munich.”
