Agile Space Industries Selected to Provide Propulsion for The Exploration Company’s Nyx Mission to the ISS
Propelling Nyx—and the future of orbital access.
Durango, CO – August 12, 2025 — Agile Space Industries announced today that it has been contacted by The Exploration Company (TEC) to deliver flight thrusters for Nyx, a European modular space capsule that will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) targeting 2028. The contract marks a new international partnership for Agile and expands its growing role in global civil space missions.
Agile will supply its DS250 thrusters, a 250-Newton, bipropellant rocket thruster optimized for high-reliability in-space maneuvering. The thrusters will be integrated into TEC’s Nyx vehicle, a modular and reusable capsule developed to support a variety of orbital missions, including cargo transport to the low Earth orbit, and a rendezvous docking to the ISS.
“We’re proud to support The Exploration Company’s vision for scalable space exploration,” said Chris Pearson, CEO of Agile Space Industries. “The Nyx mission to the ISS represents the kind of international collaboration and uncompromising rapid delivery that Agile is built for. Our DS250 thruster offers a reliable, high-performance solution tailored to TEC’s unique requirements—and we’re excited to see it fly.”
Tackling a Challenging Thermal Environment
Unlike most in-space thrusters that radiate heat into free space, the DS250s will be encapsulated within the outer mold line of the Nyx capsule. This poses a significant thermal management challenge for both the vehicle and propulsion system. Meeting this design requirement demanded close collaboration between TEC’s spacecraft team and Agile’s propulsion engineers.
To validate this integration approach, TEC tasked Agile with an aggressive schedule: design, manufacture, and hot-fire test a first iteration of the Nyx thruster meeting key performance parameters within just three months.
“When we asked Agile to develop and prove out a brand-new thruster in 3 months, and they delivered beautiful performance on the test stand in 10 weeks, we knew we had the right propulsion partner” said Hélène Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company.
Within 10 weeks, Agile had designed, 3D-printed, assembled, and hot-fire tested the DS250 thruster at its Sunshine hypergolic test stand in Durango, Colorado. The demo campaign validated key performance metrics including thrust, pulse-mode operation, longevity, and encapsulated thermal operation.
Proven Technology with Flight Heritage
The DS250 thruster uses monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and NTO (MON3) propellants. The radiatively cooled thruster operates in steady-state and pulse-mode, controlled by direct-acting solenoid valves. Agile leverages metal 3D printing for multiple components of the thruster, speeding development and time to delivery.
The thruster integrates Agile’s proprietary technologies in injector design and 3D printing and will be qualified in-house at Agile’s vacuum hot fire test facilities in Durango, Colorado.
Expanding Access to Space
The Exploration Company’s Nyx capsule aims to expand access to space for government and commercial customers by offering reusable, scalable transportation to and from low Earth orbit and beyond. The upcoming ISS docking mission marks a critical milestone in that roadmap.
This partnership further strengthens Agile’s position as a leading U.S. provider of in-space propulsion, with systems flying across both commercial and civil space programs.
The Exploration Company, headquartered in Europe, is developing Nyx as a reusable capsule capable of transporting payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. The upcoming ISS mission is a key step toward that goal, enabling greater access to space for government and commercial users.
This partnership further strengthens Agile’s rapidly growing portfolio of propulsion systems being delivered for civil, defense and commercial missions, reinforcing the company’s position as a leading U.S. provider of in-space mobility solutions.
About Agile Space Industries
Headquartered in Durango, Colorado, Agile Space Industries delivers propulsion solutions for today’s demanding space mobility missions at the speed and scale needed to support the growing space industry. Agile combines advanced additive manufacturing, high performance cooling and injector technologies, and full vertical integration from design to hot-fire testing. For more information, visit: www.agilespaceindustries.com
About The Exploration Company
The Exploration Company is a European space company developing the Nyx capsule, a modular and reusable spacecraft designed to democratize access to space. With a strong focus on sustainability, flexibility, and international collaboration, TEC is pioneering a new era of orbital transportation. For more information, visit: www.exploration.space
Agile Space Industries Media Contact:
Juleah Kaliski, Marketing Specialist
Juleah.kaliski@agilespaceindustries.com
530.351.2179
