Credit: The Exploration Company
In-space logistics startup The Exploration Company has opened its new headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, with operations at the facility expected to begin in December.
Founded in 2021, The Exploration Company is developing a modular, reusable spacecraft called Nyx, which will initially be used to transport cargo to and from the International Space Station. Planned future variants of the spacecraft include versions capable of transporting cargo to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon, as well as a variant designed to ferry astronauts to and from orbit. The company’s most recent funding round occurred in November 2024, when it closed a €150 million Series B.
On 27 October, The Exploration Company hosted regional and federal government dignitaries at its new headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich, for the facility’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The nearly 5,000-square-metre facility includes a 3,394-square-metre integration hall and 1,596 square metres of office space. Speaking to European Spaceflight, the company explained that integration activities have already begun, with full operations expected to commence by 1 December 2025.
Once operational, the facility will be used for all assembly, integration, and testing of the company’s Nyx spacecraft and its service module. In addition to its new headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen, the company has a propulsion and production facility in Bordeaux, France, a mechanisms development site in Turin, and an in-orbit refuelling kit development site in Luxembourg.
“[It’s] a truly European infrastructure,” a company spokesperson said. “With manufacturing, design, and software excellence in Bavaria, and systems engineering and testing in France, these sites form a coherent value chain that strengthens Europe’s strategic autonomy in space transportation.”
In May 2024, The Exploration Company was selected alongside Thales Alenia Space for Phase 1 of the European Space Agency’s LEO Cargo Return Service initiative, which aims to foster the development of a sovereign European cargo delivery capability. Phase 2 of the project will see companies develop and execute a demonstration mission to the International Space Station by the end of 2028. This phase will be open to all bidders, not just Phase 1 awardees. A decision on funding for the second phase of the initiative is expected during the ESA Ministerial Council meeting in late November.