When was The Exploration founded?

The Exploration was founded in 2021 and raised its 1st funding round within a year of its incorporation.

Where is The Exploration located?

The Exploration is headquartered in Planegg, Germany. It is registered at Landkreis Starnberg Friedrichshafener Str. 1 c/o ESA BIC, 82205 Gilching.

Who is the current CEO of The Exploration?

Helene Huby of The Exploration. They have also founded 1 company.

Which legal entities is The Exploration associated with?

The Exploration is associated with The Exploration Company GmbH.

How many employees does The Exploration have?

As of Jun 30, 2026, the latest employee count at The Exploration is 486.

Is The Exploration a funded company?

The Exploration is a funded company, having raised a total of $210M across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a $***** Grant (prize money) round, raised on Jan 2021.

When was the latest funding round of The Exploration?

The Exploration's latest funding was a $***** Series B round on Nov 18, 2024, with participation from 9 investors.

Where does The Exploration rank among its competitors?

The Exploration ranks 10th amongst 171 active competitors, of which 57 are funded. It stands 7th in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Isar Aerospace Technologies, which secured $311M in Jun, 2026.

Who are the top competitors of The Exploration?

The Exploration's top competitors include SpaceX, Skyroot and Firefly Aerospace. Among them, Isar Aerospace Technologies secured the most recent funding round in June, 2026.

The Exploration - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding, Competitors & Financials

The Exploration is a series B company based in Planegg (Germany), founded in 2021 by Sebastien Reichstadt, Jon Reijneveld, Helene Huby and Nils Bernhardt. It operates as a Developer of reusable space vehicles for cargo transport to space stations. The Exploration has raised $210M in funding from investors like Balderton Capital, Promus Ventures and Red River West. The company has 171 active competitors, including 57 funded and 11 that have exited. Its top competitors include companies like SpaceX, Skyroot and Firefly Aerospace.

Company Details

Developer of reusable space vehicles for cargo transport to space stations. The company designs modular and refillable vehicles for low-Earth orbit and beyond. These vehicles are launcher agnostic and intended to serve space stations. They incorporate orbital propulsion, docking mechanisms, and re-entry and recovery capabilities.

Website: exploration.space
Email ID: *****@exploration.space
Registered Address: Landkreis Starnberg Friedrichshafener Str. 1 c/o ESA BIC, 82205 Gilching

Key Metrics

Founded Year

2021

Location

Planegg, Germany

Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$210M in 4 rounds

Latest Funding Round

Series B, Nov 18, 2024, $*****

Investors

Balderton Capital & 25 more

Ranked

10^th among 171 active competitors

Employee Count

486 as on Jun 30, 2026

Investment & Acquisitions

Thrustworks

Similar Companies

Stoke & 41 more

View The Exploration's full profile

The Exploration is associated with 1 legal entity given below:

Legal Entity Name	Date of Incorporation	Revenue	Latest Employee Count	Documents
The Exploration Company GmbH CIN: D2601_HRB267885 , Germany, Active	Jul 16, 2021	-	-

The Exploration has raised a total funding of $210M over 4 rounds. Its first funding round was on Jan 2021. Its latest funding round was a Series B round on Nov 18, 2024 for $*****. 9 investors participated in its latest round. The Exploration has 25 institutional investors and 1 angel investor.

Here is the list of recent funding rounds of The Exploration:

Filter this list

Date of Funding	Funding Amount	Round Name	Post-Money Valuation	Revenue Multiple	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Nov 18, 2024	7702491	Series B	8637160	2383548	3011768	9574225
Feb 01, 2023	5591835	Series A	6388978	5514987	5240315	Promus Ventures & 11 more
Nov 18, 2021	3623655	Seed	2743673	5608974	Promus Ventures	VSquared Ventures & 1 more

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View details of The Exploration's funding rounds and investors

The founders of The Exploration are Sebastien Reichstadt, Jon Reijneveld, Helene Huby and Nils Bernhardt. Helene Huby is the CEO of The Exploration.

Here are the details of The Exploration's key team members:

Sebastien Reichstadt: Co-Founder & Propulsion Senior Technical Advisor of The Exploration.
Contact Info: 1 email address
Jon Reijneveld: Co-Founder & Chief of Engneering of The Exploration.
Contact Info: 1 email address
Helene Huby: Co-Founder & CEO of The Exploration.
Contact Info: 1 email address
Nils Bernhardt: Co-Founder & Chief Digital Officer of The Exploration.
Contact Info: 1 email address

The Exploration's Board of Directors

The Exploration's board has 1 active member. Helene Huby is part of team.

Here is the list of The Exploration's board of directors:

Name	Type	Representing	Status	Duration
Helene Huby	Team	-	Current	4y 10m

View details of The Exploration's Founder profiles and Board Members

The Exploration's employee count trend

The Exploration has 486 employees as of Jun 26. Here is The Exploration's employee count trend over the years:

Employee count trend for The Exploration

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Top competitors of The Exploration include SpaceX, Skyroot and Firefly Aerospace. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of The Exploration, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	SpaceX 2002, Hawthorne (United States), Public	Provider of advanced aerospace and space transportation services	$11.9B	Fidelity Investments, Baillie Gifford & 256 others	81/100
2nd	Skyroot 2018, Hyderabad (India), Series B	Manufacturer of orbital launch vehicles for small satellite deployment missions	$160M	GIC, Temasek & 33 others	74/100
3rd	Firefly Aerospace 2014, Cedar Park (United States), Public	Provider of small and medium satellite launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles	$589M	RPM Ventures, AE Industrial Partners & 17 others	70/100
4th	Astra 2016, Alameda (United States), Series B	Provider of launch services and electric propulsion systems for spacecraft	$137M	ACME, Airbus Ventures & 15 others	70/100
5th	Rocket Lab 2006, Long Beach (United States), Public	Provider of launch services, spacecraft design, manufacturing, satellite components, and software	$288M	Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners ... & 17 others	69/100
6th	AgniKul 2017, Chennai (India), Series C	Provider of customized orbital launch vehicles and private space missions	$75.5M	Celesta Capital, Chiratae Ventures & 103 others	69/100
7th	Relativity Space 2015, Inglewood (United States), Series E	Provider of AI-powered 3D printed launch vehicles for small payloads	$1.34B	Fidelity Investments, Tiger Global Management ... & 76 others	65/100
8th	Stoke 2019, Kent (United States), Series D	Manufacturer of reusable launch vehicles	$1.34B	In-Q-Tel, Breakthrough Energy & 38 others	65/100
9th	Isar Aerospace Technologies 2018, Munich (Germany), Series D	Manufacturer of launch vehicles for small payloads	$905M	Lombard Odier, 10x Group & 35 others	65/100
10th	The Exploration 2021, Planegg (Germany), Series B	Developer of reusable space vehicles for cargo transport to space stations	$210M	Balderton Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners ... & 24 others	63/100