China · France · U.S. · Ars Technica
Europe may finally have caught a space entrepreneur who is meeting the moment
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All of a sudden, French entrepreneur Hèlene Huby is seemingly everywhere.
Key facts
- The Ariane 6 rocket, by contrast, has a maximum lift capacity of about 20 tons
- Also this week, that firm, The Exploration Company, announced a significant capital raise of $450 million in Series C funding — This would be used to power a reusable rocket intended to launch 40 metric tons in reusable mode, and 60 tons in expendable mode
- This work has resulted in the Nyx spacecraft, which is now undergoing NASA safety reviews for a cargo mission to the International Space Station as early as November 2028
Summary
This week she is serving as one of two envoys, alongside astronaut Thomas Pesquet, at a high-profile International Space Summit convened by French President Emmanuel Macron. Also this week, that firm, The Exploration Company, announced a significant capital raise of $450 million in Series C funding. And Huby has arrived on center stage in the European space community at a time when there are increasingly urgent questions about the ability of the continent to navigate a future in space as commercial startups in the United States and China race ahead. So many of the biggest European space projects of this decade feel dated.