A European Startup's Spacecraft Made It to Orbit. Now It's Lost at Sea

The Exploration Company, a European startup focused on developing orbital spacecraft, recently conducted a test flight of its 2.5-meter diameter demonstration vehicle, Mission Possible, launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter 14 mission. The flight achieved several key milestones: successful launch, nominal payload operation in orbit, stabilization after separation, reentry, and reestablishment of communication post-blackout. However, contact was lost shortly before the capsule's planned ocean touchdown, likely due to a failure in the deployment of its parachutes—critical for safe recovery. The parachutes, sourced from US-based Airborne Systems and with proven flight heritage, were expected to deploy between Mach 0.8 and Mach 0.6, but the vehicle was ultimately lost at sea, marking a partial failure in the mission’s recovery objective. Despite this setback, the company communicated transparently and promptly, acknowledging the partial success and ongoing investigation into the root cause. Mission Possible was developed rapidly and cost-effectively, with a budget of