Communication with a privately funded European space capsule was lost Tuesday shortly after the spacecraft reentered Earth\u2019s atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The capsule launched on a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday. The Exploration Company, which built the spacecraft, described the mission as a \u201cpartial success\u201d and a \u201cpartial failure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe capsule was launched successfully, powered the payloads nominally in orbit, stabilised itself after separation with the launcher, re-entered and re-established communication after blackout,\u201d <\/span>the Munich-based startup said in a LinkedIn post today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut it encountered an issue afterwards, based on our current best knowledge, and we lost communication a few minutes before splash down,\u201d it added.<\/span><\/p>\n TNW Conference 2025 – That’s a wrap!<\/p>\n Check out the highlights!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This communication loss suggests a possible malfunction or anomaly, though the company says it is still investigating the root cause. It\u2019s also not yet clear whether the spacecraft was damaged or lost entirely. The Exploration Company did not immedia<\/a>tely reply to our request for comment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The launch \u2014 dubbed Mission Possible<\/span> \u2014<\/span><\/i> marked the second test flight for The Exploration Company. The company\u2019s inaugural mission, <\/span>Mission Bikini<\/span><\/i>, was a smaller-scale reentry demonstrator launched aboard the maiden flight of Ariane 6 in July 2024. However, a malfunction in the rocket\u2019s upper stage prevented the capsule from executing its planned reentry manoeuvre, leaving it stranded in orbit.<\/span><\/p>\n Mission Possible carried 300 kilograms of commercial cargo, including payloads for cosmetic and pharmaceutical research. It also hosted <\/span>cremated remains and DNA samples<\/span><\/a> from customers around the globe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>We apologise to all our clients who entrusted us with their payloads,\u201d the company said.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ll update this article once we have more information on the status of Mission Possible. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
![](\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F06%2Fspace-capsule-rocket.avif&signature=78f0cec26d563a4f74f0658028bad553\")
<\/p>\n