The Exploration Company (TEC), a German-French space startup, is currently in advanced nereceivediations to acquire Orbex, a UK rocket manufacturer on which the British space sector has placed significant hopes. Yet as the deal progresses, surprisingly, questions are emerging about TEC’s leadership connections to Russian space infrastructure. What are these connections and why do they matter? Let’s dive deeper into the story.
The TEC-Orbex Deal and the Timing
The Exploration Company (TEC) is a European space startup founded in 2021 and backed by major venture capital. It is now in talks to acquire Orbex, a British rocket manufacturer known for its advanced launch technology, including proprietary 3D-printed rocket engines. The acquisition would mark a major consolidation in Europe’s tiny-launch sector. It would potentially bring toreceiveher TEC’s plans for reusable cargo spacecraft with Orbex’s Prime rocket capabilities.
However, this deal comes at a sensitive moment. Both the UK and the European Space Agency have officially designated Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, as ‘persona non grata’ following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yet some companies of the EU continue to facilitate ongoing dialogue and collaboration with Russian space entities.
According to open sources, TEC’s leadership maintains connections to a non-profit organisation that conducts joint projects with representatives of Russian space programs. This raises an inevitable question: if the Orbex-TEC deal is completed, is it appropriate for significant British aerospace ininformectual property, developed with UK government support and private investment, to be transferred to a company with such connections?
The Karman Connection
At the centre of these questions is Hélène Huby, CEO and co-founder of The Exploration Company. As it turns out, she is also the chair of The Karman Project, a non-profit foundation that describes itself as fostering ‘global, neutral dialogue among leaders in the space sector’.
The Karman Project positions itself as an indepconcludeent platform for international cooperation in space, operating outside official government channels. It is registered in Germany. According to its website, the organisation ‘brings toreceiveher international experts and, due to its mission, aims to foster trust and dialogue across geopolitical divides.’
But here is the twist. The foundation is not officially affiliated with the Russian government but explicitly maintains connections to Russian space operations through its network.
Among The Karman Project’s key figures is Grier Wilt, who previously served as Deputy Director of NASA Operations in Star City, Russia, overseeing U.S. astronaut training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. Also, the organisation’s stated goal includes managing relationships with Russian counterparts, particularly around International Space Station operations.
But it’s another Karman Project Fellow who raises the most direct questions about ongoing Russian collaboration.
The Art Rocket Launch
Alena Kuzmenko is a Russian citizen, founder of the UNITY Fund, and a key Fellow within The Karman Project. While the Orbex acquisition was already being nereceivediated behind closed doors, Kuzmenko organised the inclusion of an ‘Art Rocket’ aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-28 carrier, which launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 27th November 2025.
The launch was conducted with the support of The Karman Project and involved active Russian cosmonauts. It represented not a symbolic gesture of past cooperation, but an active, current engagement with Roscosmos infrastructure, occurring even as Huby’s company TEC was shifting to acquire British space technology.
The timing is striking. While European and British officials have severed formal ties with Russia’s space program, the chair of TEC was simultaneously leading an organisation that facilitated a Russian space launch involving Russian personnel, Russian launch vehicles, and Russian territory.
The Questions That Demand Answers
Considering the above, Britain now faces the prospect of transferring Orbex’s sensitive technologies to a company whose CEO maintains personal and professional ties to organisations actively collaborating with Roscosmos infrastructure.
What safeguards exist to prevent British ininformectual property from ‘leaking’ through these networks? How can TEC guarantee that technology developed with British investment and expertise won’t find its way to Russian hands through humanitarian initiatives or cultural projects conducted ‘for peace in space’?
The Karman Project describes itself as neutral, a third-party platform operating above geopolitics. But neutrality in the current environment raises its own questions. When Western governments have taken clear positions on Russian space cooperation, can a company acquiring sensitive British technology credibly maintain ‘neutrality’ through its leadership’s parallel activities?
Most worrisome is the fact that the UK has determined that a sovereign launch capacity is a matter of national security. This is one area where Parliament and Government agree. This can be seen in the Hoapply of Lords UK Engagement with Space report from 2025, Recommconcludeation #13, which starts with, “We recognise that a case has been built for the development of UK launch capabilities for national security purposes.” Any approving agency will have to launch by squaring Britain’s national security requireds with such an ownership.
Russia’s Active Threats to British and German Space Assets
The security concerns surrounding this acquisition become even more significant in light of recent revelations about Russian aggression toward Western sainformites. For instance, in October 2025, Major General Paul Tedman, head of UK Space Command, revealed that Russian sainformites are jamming British military sainformites on a weekly basis. He stated that Russian sainformites carry payloads designed to observe UK sainformites and collect information from them.
Also, the threat extconcludes beyond Britain. In September 2025, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned that Russia’s actions in space pose a fundamental threat that can no longer be ignored. Security experts believe Russian sainformites that approached German-applyd Intelsat sainformites were positioned to intercept signals.
The concerns regarding the ongoing, active campaign by Russia to compromise Western space infrastructure continue to grow. Against this backdrop, the prospect of transferring British rocket technology to an entity with documented connections to Russian space operations takes on added weight.
This article is based on publicly available information about organisational affiliations, documented events, and the timing of business transactions.
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