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
JOHANNESBURG — The Exploration Company, a space transportation company based in Germany, established TEC Federal, a United States-based entity that will enable it to compete for government programs and contracts. The company also opened the doors of its new Rapid Innovation Lab in Houston, Texas.
In a July 8 press release, the company said the new entity and Houston lab would together provide the company with engineering and testing capabilities it needs for U.S. government contracts.
“From our perspective, this is about meeting growing and global demand for both cargo and crew capabilities, as space agencies and CLDs both prepare for a human presence in LEO after the planned retirement of the ISS,” a company spokesperson said
The lab, located near NASA’s Johnson Space Center, includes a full-scale mockup of the planned crewed version of Nyx, the Exploration Company’s in-development reusable spacecraft, the company said. That mockup will be used to further develop Nyx’s crew interfaces.
