CEO & Founder, The Exploration Company

Helene is Co-Founder & CEO at The Exploration Company, a space tech startup whose mission is to democratize space exploration, making it affordable, sustainable, and open.

The Exploration Company develops, manufactures, and operates spaceships that serve the logistic needs of the space stations around the Earth and the Moon, a market forecasted to grow by 400% in the next 8 years. The startup was co-founded in July 2021 by an experienced team coming from Airbus and ArianeGroup who worked already together on major programs (Orion-ESM, ATV, etc.). Today, The Exploration Company gathers 50 people, +500 years of space experience, has raised 50 million USD and mixes space veterans’ and young aerospace engineers’ profiles. The first capsule vehicle flight is planned for 2023.

Previously, Helene served as VP Orion-ESM at Airbus Defence & Space, responsible for the on-time, on-cost, on-quality delivery of the European Service Module of Orion i.e., the European contribution to the Orion vehicle which brings back humans to the Moon. She held beforehand strategic and operational roles: Vice President Space Strategy at Airbus Group, Program Manager at ArianeGroup and Head of Innovation at Airbus Defence & Space where she grew a portfolio of profitable new businesses ranging from space data-based services, light laser terminals and automated air-to-air refueling.

Helene began her career at the French Ministry for Research and Higher Education as Deputy Head of the Department for European Affairs. Following her passion for entrepreneurship, she joined faberNovel to contribute to the growth of the European digital ecosystem through leading digital innovative projects.

She graduated from Ecole Normale Supérieure rue d’Ulm with a MS in Economics & Applied Mathematics, from Sciences-Po Paris and from Ecole Nationale d’Administration.

Helene is privately engaged in the space- and deep-tech startup ecosystem. She has founded and chairs Urania Ventures, an investment company which funds and supports deep-tech founders; 50% of Urania Ventures portfolio are space tech startups. With the French Space Agency and the Bundeswehr University, she founded and is a Board Member of SpaceFounders, the European space tech startup accelerator. She serves as Senior Advisor of venture funds (Red River West, Prime Movers Labs, Digital Growth) and of startups and SMEs (SurfAir, Orbite, Hemeria). She is Board Member of the deep-tech startups Robeaute, ClearSpace, and Interstellar Labs.

On the non-profit side, she has founded and chairs the Karman Project, a Berlin-headquartered foundation whose mission is to foster trust, independent dialogue and cooperation between the ones who shape the future of space. She has co-founded and is a Board Member of the Microbiome Foundation. She is a Board Member of the Académie Musicale de Villecroze and an Anchor Investor of Yunus Social Business.

Helene is Young Leader of the French American Foundation and of the France China Foundation.

She has four children and lives in Germany. She enjoys playing tennis and cello, running marathons and sailing.