The Exploration Company

How do you test a docking camera on Earth? To validate the image quality of the docking camera that will support ISS astronauts during Nyx docking operations, our team recreated the spacecraft's final approach inside a dedicated 20-meter test facility built in our Integration Hall in Munich. A camera mounted on a moving Nyx mock-up traveled along rails toward a 3D-printed ISS docking target as movable light sources simulated the Sun from different angles. The setup allowed us to assess image quality under representative docking conditions before flight. Joshika Sachithanandan, who led the campaign, reflects: "Building the test setup was almost as challenging as running the campaign itself. In less than three days, AIT, mechanical design, quality, safety, logistics and Integration Hall teams came together to create a realistic docking environment. That collaboration made the campaign possible." #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #Nyx #WeAreHiring 

What if engineers could spend less time on repetitive work and more time solving engineering challenges?   Our growing Computational Engineering team is developing an in-house framework to accelerate engineering processes, especially in the context of space propulsion development. It brings together reusable physics and geometry libraries, automated data exchange between engineering tools and workflows, large-scale simulation campaigns to train machine learning models, automatic geometry generation and model validation using test data.   Instead of rebuilding the same workflow for every new component, engineers can reuse proven building blocks, iterate faster, and focus on higher-value engineering work, such as refining models, exploring design trade-offs, and going deeper into technical details. The video below shows how changing just a few input parameters allows the geometry generation workflow to generate multiple variants in minutes, a process that would otherwise require lots of manual CAD work.   Our geometry capabilities build on NoyronRP, licensed from LEAP 71, while continuing to evolve through our own engineering work as part of our broader Computational Engineering approach.   Read more in our blog post: https://lnkd.in/e37_8GK6 #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #ComputationalEngineering #WeAreHiring

The beauty of engineering, captured in our Integration Hall in Munich. A few recent shots of our Structural Test Model (STM) by the talented team at Omoi. Thank you for showcasing the craftsmanship and attention to detail that go into every stage of development. With all development tests successfully completed, including vibration testing at European Space Agency - ESA ESTEC, the STM now serves as the integration and test platform for several key subsystems, including ECLSS, thermal control, avionics, and harness preparation. #FutureOfspace #SpaceEngineering #WeAreHiring #Nyx 

  Characterizing how quickly Nyx's flight software responds to changes in pressure. Following the HMU campaign in Bordeaux, our Flight Software and Avionics teams built an end-to-end latency test setup in Munich to measure the end-to-end latency of the pressurization control loop. Using a flight computer mockup, flight software, and a Propulsion Drive Electronic engineering model, the team measured the complete response time from a simulated pressure drop to valve actuation. The campaign confirmed the expected performance of the control loop and provided the timing data needed to support verification against flight requirements and guide the next phase of flight software optimization. As Alberto Nidasio, Flight Software Engineer, puts it: "The most rewarding part was seeing the test bench deliver exactly what we built it for: confirming our expectations while providing the data to guide the next iteration." Next step: integrating the flight software into dedicated hardware-in-the-loop platforms. #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #HardwareInTheLoop #WeAreHiring

We recently completed another qualification campaign for ZURAM, our in-house thermal protection material for Nyx atmospheric reentry. Last month, our teams carried out a new test campaign to further characterize ZURAM’s manufacturing tolerances and evaluate its performance under shear stress and extreme heat flux conditions, leading to surface temperatures more than 1700°C - hotter than volcanic lava. The material was intentionally tested under conditions exceeding expected flight environments to better understand its behaviour under standard manufacturing deviations.   Throughout the campaign, performance remained stable, with no uncontrolled ablation.   Conducted as part of the European Space Agency - ESA LCRS program, in collaboration with German Aerospace Center (DLR), this campaign provided valuable data to refine our simulation models and further qualify the production process as we continue progressing toward flight qualification.   #Nyx #SpaceEngineering #FutureOfSpace #WeAreHiring

Great partnerships make ambitious missions possible. Looking forward to the next chapter.

The systems we build are only possible because of the people behind them.  Meet Arman M., Safety & Mission Assurance Engineer at The Exploration Company. His role is to challenge assumptions, identify risks, and help ensure Nyx is ready for flight. Three and a half years ago, Arman moved to Europe to join The Exploration Company. What stood out to him wasn't just how fast we move. It was the trust engineers are given to make decisions, take ownership, and watch concepts on paper become hardware just a few months later. This is the first story in our new series, Meet Our Explorers. #MeetOurExplorers #WeAreHiring #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #HardwareInTheLoop

The Exploration Company is deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency. Throughout his career, Professor Valente was a steadfast advocate for Italy’s space ambitions and for stronger European cooperation in space. His vision, expertise, and public service helped advance an ecosystem that continues to benefit industry, institutions, and future generations. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends, colleagues at the Italian Space Agency, and the entire Italian space community.

Storm, our full-flow staged combustion engine, recently completed another pre-burner hot-fire test campaign at German Aerospace Center (DLR) Lampoldshausen facilities under the European Space Agency - ESA THRUST! contract. Our team completed 10 hot-fire tests on the DLR P8 test bench using the latest subscale pre-burner demonstrator, a critical subsystem required for Storm’s full-flow staged combustion cycle. The campaign accumulated 588 seconds of oxygen-rich hot-fire testing, with individual runs exceeding 100 seconds. These results demonstrated stable combustion, validated key injector design models, verified the system's performance beyond nominal operating conditions, and provided the engineering data needed to support Storm's continued development. #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #WeAreHiring #Propulsion