French entrepreneur Hélène Huby, CEO of The Exploration Company, has raised $450 million in Series C funding — the largest-ever Series C for a European space company and likely the largest by a female-led European company. She is gaining prominence at a high-profile space summit convened by President Macron, as Europe struggles to keep pace with US and Chinese space commercialization efforts.
Background
Europe has been widely criticized for falling behind the US and China in commercial space development, with projects like Ariane 6 and IRIS² facing cost overruns and delays. The Exploration Company focuses on orbital servicing and debris removal technologies.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Sep 10, 2026 at 04:27 AM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10