The Exploration Company

12 days under vacuum: Nyx’s thermal control system completed its latest test campaign. The Active Thermal Control System (#ATCS), which keeps #Nyx capsule systems within their operating temperature range throughout the mission, was successfully tested in representative space-like conditions during a 12-day thermal vacuum campaign at EHP (Euro Heat Pipes) facilities in Belgium, reaching extremes as low as -120°C. Our teams exercised the main hardware components across multiple test cases.  As Atdhe Kycyku, who led the campaign, put it: “We completed the thermal vacuum campaign without any major equipment failures and with our most valuable bounty: plenty of data for the team to process over the coming weeks.” The test bench is now returning to Munich for Phase 2 preparation later this summer, including joint testing with Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) and additional subsystem characterization.  A big thank you to our Thermal and Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) teams, alongside Computer Aided Design (CAD), Mechanical, and Avionics contributors, and to our partners APR and EHP (Euro Heat Pipes) for getting this campaign completed on schedule. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #thermalengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus

A key milestone before hot-fire qualification testing is now complete for #Nyx propulsion system.    Over the course of two weeks, team members from across Germany, Italy, and France came together in Bordeaux to integrate and commission a flight computer emulator, along with new flight-like engineering models of the avionics and propulsion hardware.   The campaign included low-pressure system tests designed to compare real system behavior against simulation models. By validating how valves, software, electronics, and pressure systems interact together, our teams not only ensure that the system works as expected, but also improve model accuracy for future testing.    Thanks to everyone involved across propulsion, avionics, flight software, ground software, and test operations who helped bring this test to life. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #thermalengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus

Through our role in EU-RISE, we contributed to laying the technical and operational groundwork for Europe’s future in-space servicing and manufacturing ecosystem. Congratulations to all EU-RISE partners on this achievement. The robotic capabilities developed through the project will help enable a new generation of serviceable, upgradeable, and more sustainable orbital infrastructure across Europe. We’re proud to have contributed to the effort.

Preparing #Nyx hardware for the thermal conditions of space: Thermal Vacuum Testing (#TVAC) completed on our Engineering Model tank. During the campaign, TEC Thermal, AIT, and Propulsion teams verified the tank’s thermal design, validated heater operations, and gathered the data for the next phase of the program ahead of the Thermal Control System Critical Design Review. The campaign also demonstrated better-than-expected insulation performance, helping maintain stable conditions throughout testing. Together with our partners HEMERIA and ArianeGroup, our teams successfully carried out the campaign, including overnight operations during key phases of testing. Colleagues also travelled from France to support overnight activities, reflecting the team spirit and responsiveness behind Nyx development. As Pierre-Emmanuel Richard, Principal Thermal Engineer, put it, the campaign was “a strong example of the collaborative environment we are building at TEC.” Thanks to everyone involved for the commitment and adaptability shown throughout the test series.    #futureofspace #spaceengineering #thermalengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus

Putting our design for a new commercial space capsule through representative launch conditions: vibration testing on our #Nyx Structural Test Model (#STM) at European Space Agency - ESA ESTEC in the Netherlands.    Across 69 runs over 4 weeks on ESA’s Hydra shaker, we tested multiple payload configurations to refine the models supporting Nyx flight development and better understand the vehicle’s behaviour during launch conditions.  In the three months following delivery of the pressurised compartment, our teams completed integration, pressure testing, reintegration activities, and the vibration test series on the full-scale structural test article. This phase brought together engineering, manufacturing, integration, analysis, and testing activities across a shared European ecosystem. It relied on close coordination between our engineers, European Test Services B.V. and European Space Agency - ESA teams at ESTEC throughout the programme, and we’re grateful to everyone involved along the way.    #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗡𝘆𝘅 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲‐𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺. Our mechanisms team completed the test campaign at our partner TÜV SÜD facility in Turin, actuating the Hold and Release Mechanism that keeps the capsule and service module locked during flight and separates them during atmospheric re-entry. We validated three key objectives, including clean rod retraction, controlled shock transmission during release, and overall system behaviour. As Matthias Favrel, Principal Mechanism Development, put it: “Testing always requires an-all hands-on deck approach to problem-solving. Presented with a potential delay one morning, the team rapidly turned around a critical titanium part, completed checks, transport, and assembly, and fired the mechanism that same evening, keeping us on track."  Huge thanks to everyone from the Mechanisms and Vehicle Design teams and to our partners SIPAL S.p.A., TÜV SÜD and SOTEREM who helped us make this happen under such a tight timeline. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring 

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗡𝘆𝘅 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. This could seem like a minor update, but these valves sit at the very core of Nyx’s propellant loops, regulating its pressure and fuel-feed circuits. The fuel-side valve met performance targets on its first build, while a micro-leak on the gas-side unit surfaced during pressure cycling and was fixed during the same sprint without slowing pace. The data package locks in the design and materials of the flight-representative valves, clears them for thermal, vibration, and lifetime trials in Munich; keeping Nyx firmly on track for its 2028 demo flight. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗛𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲–𝗼𝘅𝘆𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Supported by the European Space Agency - ESA STEP-2 programme, our team completed its first hot-fire test campaign on #Huracan. TEC’s E-pump fed reusable cryogenic LOX‑methane engine for lunar landers and cislunar transport vehicles ran 26 tests, reaching 375 seconds of burn time and full throttle range (50–100%). For the first time, we tested Huracan as a complete integrated system at Airborne Engineering Ltd’s facilities in the UK. More than fifty of our teammates across propulsion, software, manufacturing, AIT, logistics, and test operations contributed to this milestone. Thank you to everyone involved. Next step: Development Model 2 (DM2), with a flight-representative engine on a dedicated test bench in Bordeaux. More details on the test campaign - and what we learned - here: https://lnkd.in/dMuNrGqz #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #joinus #wearehiring

#Nyx parachute control system: successfully validated across all tested conditions. Critical for a safe splashdown, our #Avionics and Hardware-in-the-Loop (#HIL) teams worked on the #CDAQ (Control and Data Acquisition unit), which manages our capsule’s parachute deployment. Designed with built-in redundancy to ensure reliable parachute deployment even in case of partial system failure, the CDAQ was tested across scenarios including sensor loss, controller faults, and power interruptions. Telemetry was also validated for real-time monitoring. “What really shaped this campaign was an early decision to go beyond standard testing. We pushed for a real-world flight test, got internal approval, and made it happen. It was unconventional, but also one of the most rewarding parts of the campaign.” says Mattia Nardi, Lead Engineer of the campaign. A big thank you to Mattia Nardi, Stefano Fidia Siontas, Wojciech Niedźwiecki and Antoine Pallois for making this campaign happen. #futureofspace #spaceengineering #hardwareintheloop #Joinus #wearehiring 

What would it take to support a long-term presence on the Moon?  We will be working on this question with SAGA Space Architects and Space Applications Services NV/SA, following our selection by the European Space Agency - ESA for the Lunar Remote Camp Study (#LRCS). The goal is to explore a deployable lunar shelter that could support robotic activities today, and eventually enable short crewed missions.  This means a system that must withstand temperature swings, radiation, dust, and micrometeoroids, while still enabling power, communications, and data handling.  Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eUVGd4jT  #FutureOfSpace #SpaceEngineering #HardwareInTheLoop #LunarExploration