spacetoday.net: The Exploration Company in talks to acquire Orbex

Posted: Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 10:35 AM ET (1535 GMT)
The Exploration Company is in talks to acquire small launch vehicle company Orbex. The companies said Wednesday that they had signed a letter of intent to explore a potential acquisition, but did not disclose details, such as the value of the potential deal. The Exploration Company is developing Nyx, a line of spacecraft to provide cargo delivery services to and from low Earth orbit with plans for later lunar spacecraft as well as a crewed version of Nyx. Orbex has been working on Prime, but the schedule for its first launch has slipped by years and the company is reportedly struggling financially. The U.K. government provided only limited funding to Orbex in ESA’s European Launcher Challenge, electing to leave most of its contribution to the program unallocated. ESA officials said earlier this month that the U.K. would need to allocate its funding before the agency could sign contracts with the five companies in the program.