Nyx is a reusable European reentry capsule developed by The Exploration Company to deliver cargo to and from space stations in LEO, with a crew-capable variant planned for the future.
Nyx
Nyx is a reusable European reentry capsule developed by The Exploration Company to deliver cargo to and from space stations in LEO, with a crew-capable variant planned for the future.
Description
Nyx is a modular, reusable spacecraft developed by the French/German startup The Exploration Company (TEC) to provide independent cargo transportation and return services to and from low Earth orbit destinations such as the ISS and Axiom Station. The baseline 'Nyx Earth' configuration consists of a conical reentry capsule mated to a cylindrical service module, measuring roughly 4 meters in diameter and 7 meters in height with a total launch mass of about 8 tonnes. It is designed to carry up to 4,000 kg of cargo to orbit and return up to 3,000 kg back to Earth via splashdown. The capsule uses carbon-based ablative thermal protection for reentry and is intended to be reusable for up to 10 missions. A future 'Nyx Crew' variant has been proposed to ferry up to five astronauts to and from LEO, with a potential first crewed flight no earlier than 2035. The company validated its technology through subscale demonstrator flights: 'Mission Bikini' flew on the inaugural Ariane 6 launch in July 2024 but never reentered because the Ariane 6 upper stage failed to perform its deorbit burn. 'Mission Possible' launched in June 2025 as a rideshare on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter mission; it achieved orbit, performed a controlled deorbit burn, and survived atmospheric reentry, but contact was lost before parachute deployment and splashdown, resulting in loss of the capsule in the Pacific Ocean. As of mid-2026, TEC describes Mission Possible as a partial success and has conducted additional testing while reporting around 10 missions booked with anchor customers.
Specifications
| Configuration | Conical reentry capsule + cylindrical service module |
|---|---|
| Diameter (Nyx Earth) | 4 m |
| Height (Nyx Earth) | 7 m |
| Total mass (Nyx Earth) | ~8 tonnes |
| Upmass payload capacity | Up to 4,000 kg to LEO |
| Downmass payload capacity | Up to 3,000 kg returned to Earth |
| Thermal protection | Carbon-based, low-density ablative TPS |
| Recovery method | Parachute descent and ocean splashdown |
| Reusability | Designed for up to 10 missions |
| Crew variant (proposed) | Nyx Crew - up to 5 astronauts, NET 2035 |
| Demonstrator - mission bikini | Flew on Ariane 6 maiden flight (July 2024); never reentered due to Ariane 6 upper stage deorbit failure |
| Demonstrator - mission possible | Launched June 2025 on Falcon 9 Transporter rideshare; reached orbit, survived reentry, but lost contact before splashdown, resulting in loss of capsule (declared partial success) |
