Space is not forgiving. Every success story is built on rigorous testing, learning from setbacks, and confronting uncertainty. At The Exploration Company (TEC), we believe that progress in spaceflight must be earned through data, discipline, and demonstration.

That’s why Mission Possible is not meant to be a headline; it’s a building block. This mission will trial key systems of TEC’s Nyx capsule: from separation and autonomous navigation to reentry and ocean recovery. If successful, it will mark a turning point for European space logistics. Even in the event of partial success, it will generate critical insights that reduce risk for all future missions.
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Phase 1: Separation from the Launcher

A clean detachment from the launch vehicle’s upper stage is the first operational objective. While mechanically straightforward, this maneuver remains sensitive to launch dynamics and is co-managed with the launch provider. Here, we rely on SpaceX.

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Phase 2: Stabilizing the Capsule and Putting its Heatshield Forward

To safely return to Earth, the capsule must enter the atmosphere with heatshield forward. This means detumbling the capsule and ensuring that it re-enters with the right angle. Minor deviations can result in an unsafe thermal load – or simply, heads-down. This phase puts our guidance, navigation, and control systems to the test.

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Phase 3: Atmospheric Re-entry

This is the mission’s technical heart: proving the thermal protection system and validating the aerodynamic modelling. Wind tunnel and plasma tests guide our design, but flight data remains the true benchmark. The capsule’s shape and orientation, as well as the Guidance Navigation and Control software controlling the capsule trajectory and attitude based on IMU data, are designed to minimize thermal stress and maintain stability, while the thermal tiles, meticulously bonded and tested, must withstand the most extreme conditions.

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Phase 4: Parachute Deployment and Descent

Between Mach 0.8 and 0.6, the capsule’s parachute system is triggered by redundant logic. The deployment sequence begins with a drogue parachute for stabilization, followed by the main parachute to slow descent. Both chutes have been selected for their proven flight heritage.

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Phase 5: Splashdown and Recovery

The final milestone is a controlled ocean landing at ~28 km/h. The capsule must remain buoyant, and easy to recover. Redundant beacons will assist in localization, and onboard telemetry will provide critical diagnostics.

The recovery boat will wait outside of the safety perimeter and will recover the capsule up to 3 days after splashdown.

Then, we will give back the payload to their owners – our clients.  

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De-Risking the Future

Success for Mission Possible is not binary. Each validated system reduces uncertainty for future missions. Each data set shortens the path to reliability. Even partial success strengthens our roadmap.

We will face mission failure if we cannot pass Phase 2. We will have partial success if we pass Phase 2. And we will have success if we bring safely back the payloads to our clients who entrusted us.

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From this mission, TEC will extract insights on:

• Structural performance under orbital dynamics

• Reentry heat flux and aerodynamic stability

• Autonomous navigation and onboard logic

• Recovery system behavior in real-world conditions

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These insights will feed directly into Nyx Earth, TEC’s reusable capsule for LEO cargo missions, and later, Nyx Moon.  

Step by step, we are reducing reliance on foreign systems and building European capability.

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