Credit: The Exploration Company
The Exploration Company has completed initial testing of the pressurised structure for its Nyx Structural Test Model (STM). The structure was manufactured by CNIM Systèmes Industriels in France and delivered to the company in mid-February.
Founded in 2021, The Exploration Company is developing a modular space capsule called Nyx that will initially be used to transport cargo to and from low Earth orbit. Later versions are intended for lunar cargo missions and potential crew transport to and from orbit.
On 31 March, The Exploration Company announced that it had successfully completed a set of pressure tests on the Nyx STM. This type of testing is used to verify that the spacecraft’s pressurised structure can safely withstand internal cabin pressure and the stresses experienced during flight.
According to the company, the test utilised the STM in a “minimal configuration,” with the recently delivered pressurised compartment fitted with displacement sensors and strain gauges to assess how the structure responded under load.
In its 31 March statement, the company said that the testing confirmed that the pressurised structure behaves as expected. In addition to testing the design of the pressurised structure, the tests were also used to validate modelled projections with real-world data.
With the completion of this latest milestone, The Exploration Company will now proceed with STM vibration testing, which will simulate the mechanical loads and oscillations experienced during launch.
The completion of the Nyx STM pressure tests came a little under two months after the company conducted a series of splashdown tests on a subscale model of the capsule to ensure that Nyx and its cargo will survive sea-based recovery. More recently, the company fully characterised the Peripheral Docking Target, a pattern that enables precise alignment of the spacecraft during final approach and docking. While the company appears to be progressing quickly through the development of Nyx, there is still a lot to be done before the capsule’s planned 2028 debut.
Speaking to European Spaceflight in late 2025, The Exploration Company’s CEO, Hélène Huby, explained that the company intended to begin building flight hardware, “starting with the cylinder of the vehicle” in early 2026. However, the company has not yet indicated whether manufacturing has begun.
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