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The Exploration Company
Democratises space exploration, for space and non-space industries
About The Exploration Company
The Exploration Company (TEC) is a European space company founded by Hélène Huby that develops reusable spacecraft and propulsion for cargo and future crew transport between Earth and orbit. Its Nyx reusable capsule targets space-station logistics including a planned ISS docking and return, while Storm is a high-thrust oxygen-methane engine for a future European heavy-lift launcher. In September 2026 TEC raised a $450 million Series C co-led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Atomico and the Scaleup Europe Fund (EQT), with Balderton, Plural, Cherry and Red River West, taking total funding to about $680 million—reportedly the largest round by an EU-headquartered company led by a female founder—alongside more than $2 billion in customer contracts and commitments. Sources: Tech.eu 8 Sep 2026.
Source: Dealroom company dataAt a glance
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Planegg, Germany
- Employees
- 463
- Open positions
- 68
- Dealroom signal
- 94.6/100
- Sector
- Space, Space Tech, In-Space Research, Launch Vehicles, Space Transportation, Esa Bic, ESA, ESA SME, In-Space Transportation, In-Space Operations, Space Tech for Security and Safety
- Technology
- Hardware, Deep Tech
- Business model
- Manufacturing
- Client focus
- b2b
- Investment activity
- 2 companies, latest Jun 2026
- Capital deployed
- —
- Preferred round
- ACQUISITION
Knowledge graph
More headlines
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERIES BOther financing | Nov 2024 | $165M | $660M | Partech · FJ Labs · b2venture · Red River West | ↗ |
| EARLY VCOther financing | Feb 2024 | $0 | — | Partech · Cherry Ventures · Vsquared Ventures · Stellar Ventures | — |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for The Exploration Company is 56K monthly website visits, up 30.2% over the last three months. The Exploration Company's team grew 31.5% over the past year.
Open positions
Similar companies
Company identity and context are open; selected comparison metrics preview what is available on the platform.
Investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
European AstrotechAylesbury, United KingdomSpecializes in spacecraft propulsion, propellant chemistry and launch site services
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ThrustworkNeuss, GermanyOur thrust works for a prosperous planet and society
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Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed3 investors entered at this stage
Promus Ventures
Cherry Ventures
Vsquared Ventures
Series A28 investors entered at this stage
EQT Ventures
SLB
Rymdkapital
Possible Ventures
SISTAFUND
July Fund
Partech
Omnes Capital- HFHabert Dassault Finance
Red River West
Wealth Management Alliance
FJ Labs
Stellar Ventures
50 Partners
Plural
Balderton Capital
b2venture
DeepTech & Climate Fonds- HJHartwood JV
- ZPZedra PCC
EPIC Bpifrance
Bessemer Venture Partners
Bayern Kapital
NGP Capital
Pleiade Venture- SOSORIAK
- PSPL2 SCSp
- MOMousserena
Other known investors3 additional known investors
CASSINI Initiative
ESA BIC Bavaria
EUSPA
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about The Exploration Company on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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