Europe’s “SpaceX Challenger” races to raise $300 millions, promising spaceflight newcomer Exploration Company may reach valuation of over $2 billions

Zhihu Finance APP reports that the wave of capitalization in the space race is accelerating simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic. On Monday (July 27), according to UK media, European space startup The Exploration Company GmbH is in talks to raise at least $300 million, with part of the funding coming from the EU’s Scaleup Europe Fund. If the deal is completed, the company’s valuation will exceed $2 billion. Meanwhile, SpaceX (SPCX.US) completed its 13th Starship test flight last Friday, for the first time deploying 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites—marking the company’s first Starship flight since going public in June. Europe is investing substantial capital to catch up to the United States’ leading position in commercial space, while SpaceX is responding to the capital markets’ skepticism with technological milestones.