en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Exploration Company recently completed a drop test to verify the parachute and splashdown performance of its Nyx spacecraft, which is designed to deliver cargo to low Earth orbit, with a target test flight in 2028.

On May 19, a helicopter carried a capsule model called the Drop Test Vehicle (DTV) to an altitude of 2,800 meters over the Mojave Desert in California before releasing it. During descent, the capsule first deployed two drogue parachutes to stabilize its attitude, followed by four main parachutes that guided it to a landing on the desert floor.

In a statement released on June 4, the company said preliminary analysis confirmed that all required conditions and event sequences were achieved, including the normal deployment and handover of the drogue and main parachutes. The vehicle dynamics observed during the initial release and handover were consistent with expectations for the DTV configuration, covering its mass and inertia range.

This test is part of a broader qualification program for the Nyx parachute system. Although the capsule is designed for ocean splashdown landings, this test was conducted on land to simplify logistics.

The drop test is part of a wider series of capsule testing activities. In January, The Exploration Company conducted water impact tests using a scaled model of Nyx at a test facility in Italy, aimed at validating models for splashdown conditions.

Parachute deployment and splashdown were two flight phases that the company was unable to test during its "Mission Possible" reentry test about a year ago. In that mission, the capsule, launched via a SpaceX rideshare mission, successfully experienced reentry, but the company lost contact with it afterward and was unable to recover the capsule after splashdown.

The Exploration Company has not publicly disclosed the specific issues that occurred during the "Mission Possible" flight. A company official stated at a conference in October last year that the investigation was ongoing, while a company spokesperson said earlier this year that the recent drop test was unrelated to the issues encountered in "Mission Possible."

The company plans to conduct an orbital test flight of Nyx in 2028, including a docking mission with the International Space Station. The European Space Agency (ESA) selected The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space in 2024 to participate in the first phase of its cargo vehicle development program, which is modeled after NASA's Commercial Resupply Services. The company announced plans for a crewed version of Nyx in June last year, but noted that this is a long-term project.

The Exploration Company's business extends beyond Nyx. The company has been developing rocket engines, including testing the "Huracan" engine, which produces 3,370 pounds of thrust and uses liquid oxygen and methane as propellants. The company says it will be used for future lunar landers and cislunar spacecraft. The company's website also mentions "Storm," a reusable "high-thrust" rocket engine with a thrust of up to 400,000 pounds.

According to the company's website, "Storm is designed to power a globally competitive launch vehicle." The site briefly introduced a launch vehicle called Yrene, but now only mentions "future vehicles" without providing further details.

When The Exploration Company CEO Hélène Huby visited the United Arab Emirates in May, she said the company is seeking to raise $200 million in an upcoming funding round. She told local media that the funds would be used to support the development of rocket engine projects.

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