The Exploration Company (TEC) is a European full-stack space transportation company founded in 2021, building reusable spacecraft and propulsion systems to democratize access to low-Earth orbit. Its flagship product, Nyx, is a reusable, launcher-agnostic cargo capsule designed to dock with any space station, carry pressurized cargo, and return safely to Earth. TEC has flown two subscale demonstrators — Mission Bikini (July 2024, Ariane 6) and Mission Possible (June 2025, Falcon 9) — in preparation for the first full-scale Nyx Earth mission targeted for 2028 under ESA's ALADDIN program.

Beyond Nyx, TEC is developing Storm, a high-thrust reusable rocket engine using a full-flow staged-combustion cycle powered by liquid oxygen and biomethane, capable of up to 180 tons of thrust. Storm is intended to power a future reusable European heavy-lift launcher, representing the first such engine development effort in Europe at this scale. TEC is the first European company to sign a Space Act Agreement with NASA and has secured more than $2 billion in contracts and commitments from customers including ESA, Axiom Space, Vast, and Starlab.

Founded by Hélène Huby — a former VP Space Strategy at Airbus and ArianeGroup veteran — alongside a team of aerospace veterans, TEC operates across Germany, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, the United States, and the UAE. With 550+ employees and $680 million in total funding, TEC is one of the fastest-growing space startups in Europe. In September 2026, ESA awarded TEC a €760 million ALADDIN Phase 2 contract for up to three Nyx cargo flights to the ISS, including a demonstration docking mission in November 2028.