A French-German startup is attempting to develop the first European reusable space capsule that can deliver cargo to space stations.
The Exploration Company, founded in 2021, is trying to compete with established players like America's SpaceX and Northrop Grumman by offering a competitive price of $150 million per mission, with a payload capacity of 4,000kg of cargo from Earth to the space station.
SpaceX typically charges about $152 million per mission to send cargo and supplies.
“We are trying to develop spacecraft that will be more accessible, sustainable and lower cost upfront,” Mark Kirasich, vice president of the company’s US operations, told The National on Tuesday.
The company hopes to do a demonstration mission by next year, in which the Nyx vehicle would launch and dock with the International Space Station and return to Earth.
If successful, the company could compete for more than just the Cargo Resupply Services contract that Nasa awards, as other companies working on commercial space stations, such as the Axiom Space Station, will have similar needs.
“What we want to do is fly multiple Nyx cargo missions, first to the International Space station, before its current planned retirement in 2030s,” said Mr Kirasich.
“Then begin flights to the new commercial low-Earth orbit destination of the space station.”
Mr Kirasich was recently appointed to spearhead the operations of the company’s US branch, which will work towards ensuring Nyx is Nasa-certified and finds opportunities in Nasa’s lunar mission programme called Artemis.
His wealth of experience is drawn from time spent being Nasa’s deputy associate administrator for Artemis Campaign Development, Orion spacecraft programme manager (the capsule that will take astronauts to the Moon) and senior director of human space flight at Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin.
“If you're going to develop what is generically called a visiting vehicle, either a cargo vehicle or a vehicle that brings people to space stations, you have to have a certification,” he said.
“This means somebody has looked at how you've developed the spacecraft, how you've tested the spacecraft, done test or demonstration flights and you receive a certification.
“And right now Nasa has the primary agency role that certifies spacecraft that visit space station, so we must be close to Nasa and throughout the certification process.”
'DHL of space'
The Nyx spacecraft's modular design allows for customisation to meet specific mission requirements, including accommodating various payload capacities and types of cargo.
The company's vision is to become the “DHL of space,” offering cost-effective and reusable spacecraft to provide easy and frequent delivery services to space.
By establishing regular flights, The Exploration Company aims to “democratise” space, enabling more organisations, both within and outside the space sector, to access space, unlike the current scenario where only a few companies dominate the market.
“Initially, our goal is to fly once a year, but we'd really like to ramp that up,” said Mr Kirasich.
“When you look at the traffic models for servicing the International Space Station and potential commercial low-Earth orbit destinations, it suggests a need for two or three cargo vehicles per year.
“We'll be competing with other providers, but we'd love to secure as much of that business as possible.”
With the ISS nearing retirement, several companies have announced plans to develop a commercial space station, such as Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin and Axiom Space.
Delivery services to the Moon
With renewed interest in the Moon by space agencies, the company is also planning to send vehicles to the Lunar Gateway – a planned station in lunar orbit that Nasa and its international partners are developing.
It says on its website that the vehicle can carry a 5,000kg payload capacity to the station at a price of $400 million.
“That's one of the key capabilities, if you will, is to get cargo back from the Moon because we're sending people there to do exploration and to bring back samples,” said Mr Kirasich.
“Our additional goal is also to eventually evolve the next (vehicle) into a crewed spacecraft so we can fly people up and down from the surface of the Earth to space.”
Providing services on the Moon is also an emerging market that companies are hoping to win contracts for.
In 2021, SpaceX won a $2.89 billion contract with Nasa to develop a Starship lander that would help their astronauts touchdown on the Moon.
Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion contract two years later to land Nasa astronauts on the lunar surface.
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Race%20card
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