Beyond that, NASA and private space station companies may need to look to an emerging company across the pond.<\/p>\n
A new contender emerges<\/p>\n
Last week, a Europe-based firm, The Exploration Company, hosted an office-opening celebration in Webster, Texas. At the facility, located just a couple of miles from Johnson Space Center, founder H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Huby said her company was considering making Houston the base of its operations to develop a crewed spacecraft.<\/p>\n
The Exploration Company has already won funding from the European Space Agency to develop a cargo vehicle, called Nyx, to carry supplies to the International Space Station. An initial mission may happen in late 2028 or 2029. And Huby has made no secret of her desire to build a crew vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very clear that in the United States there is a big need for an additional crew vehicle, and nobody exactly knows if Dragon will continue to serve,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd even if Dragon continues to serve, which I wish it will because it\u2019s an amazing vehicle, then it\u2019s good to have a bit more competition. And also the path for Boeing is kind of uncertain right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huby is seeking to attract funding both from the European Space Agency and NASA for the development of a crew vehicle, and then to leverage that money to raise additional private capital for a crew vehicle. The company has already taken preliminary steps toward this, which she estimates will require about eight years and $4 billion.<\/p>\n