The Exploration Company has completed key testing of thermal protection materials that will be used in the thermal protection system of its Nyx Earth space capsule.
Nyx Earth is a reusable space capsule that will initially transport cargo to and from the International Space Station, with an estimated cost of $150 million per flight. In May 2024, The Exploration Company was selected by the European Space Agency, along with Thales Alenia Space, for the agency’s LEO Cargo Return Service initiative, securing crucial institutional support for Nyx Earth’s inaugural mission.
In a 14 November announcement, The Exploration Company revealed it had completed a series of thermal protection material tests. During testing, each material was subjected to conditions representative of reentry from low Earth orbit, allowing engineers to observe material behavior and measure ablation levels.
The Exploration Company conducted the test campaign at the ArianeGroup facility in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, where the company develops solid fuel propellant stages for the M51 ballistic missiles, thermal protection systems, and telescopes for the ArianeGroup Helix network. In addition to its production capacity, the facility also offers extensive testing capabilities.
According to The Exploration Company, the completion of the thermal protection material test campaign represents an initial step toward its system PDR (Preliminary Design Review). With this milestone achieved, the company will move forward with the development of the full thermal protection system for its Nyx Earth and Nyx Moon vehicles.
Nyx Earth is expected to complete its initial mission to and from the International Space Station in 2028. In preparation for this launch, The Exploration Company will conduct an in-orbit demonstration with a sub-scale capsule called Mission Possible, scheduled to launch in 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
