A model of The Exploration Company’s Nyx spacecraft descends under parachutes in a May 19 drop test in the Mojave Desert. Credit: The Exploration Company
WASHINGTON — The Exploration Company performed a drop test of the Nyx spacecraft it is developing to transport cargo to low Earth orbit ahead of a 2028 test flight.
In the May 19 test in California’s Mojave Desert, a helicopter carried a model of the capsule called the Drop Test Vehicle (DTV) to an altitude of 2,800 meters. The helicopter then released the capsule, which first deployed two drogue parachutes to stabilize it. Four main parachutes followed, guiding the capsule to a touchdown on the desert floor.
“Initial analysis confirms that the required conditions and event timings were achieved, including nominal extraction and handover from the drogues to the main parachutes,” the company said in a June 4 statement about the test. “The vehicle dynamics observed during initial release and handover were in line with expectations for this DTV configuration, including its mass and inertia range.”
The company said the test is part of a broader qualification campaign for the parachute system for Nyx. While the capsule is designed to splash down, this test was conducted on land to simplify logistics.
