SpaceMiningData
CompanyUnited StatesUnknown

CU Aerospace L.L.C.

U.S. company included for NASA STTR Phase I project 80NSSC24PB225 with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The proposal studies plasma conversion of carbon dioxide into useful carbon products for Mars in-situ resource utilization, with ethylene as a research target. SBIR.gov lists a $156,495 award and a performance schedule from 30 July 2024 to 8 September 2025; these dates do not establish a completed reactor or flown hardware.

Targeted

An organization's level is recorded separately and is not a ranking of its linked missions' results. How the ladder works.

Resources and evidence

Each resource shows the highest step primary sources support. How the ladder works.

ResourceEvidenceMeaning
OtherTargetedwork aimed at it

Demonstrated

No completed resource-production or flight result is established by these sources.

Claimed or planned

U.S. company included for NASA STTR Phase I project 80NSSC24PB225 with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The proposal studies plasma conversion of carbon dioxide into useful carbon products for Mars in-situ resource utilization, with ethylene as a research target. SBIR.gov lists a $156,495 award and a performance schedule from 30 July 2024 to 8 September 2025; these dates do not establish a completed reactor or flown hardware.

Facts

Headquarters
United States
Type
Company
Status
UnknownStatus date not recorded. The federal award record identifies CU AEROSPACE L.L.C., UEI X95KNGLAEMH7, the NASA Phase I contract and MIT collaboration. The abstract is proposed research, with a prototype testbed intended for a possible Phase II. Current corporate status or follow-on award is not established; unknown does not mean inactive.
Roles
Processing / ISRU
Targets
Mars
Also known as
CU Aerospace; CUA

Open evidence gaps

  • The Phase I abstract does not establish test success, a Phase II award or a mission. The listed schedule is not proof of completion.
  • The $156,495 is the award database's total award amount, not a verified payment or company-wide funding total.
  • The resources category other refers to carbon compounds. MIT is a stated research collaborator, not a newly admitted profile or a flight participant in this batch.
  • Only the federal award record was reviewed; founding year, corporate-register status and wider company activities are unestablished.

Sources

10 excerpts from 1 publication

One web address counts as one publication.

  1. [1]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: name, aliases
    CU AEROSPACE L.L.C.
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  2. [2]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: headquarters country
    CHAMPAIGN, IL, 61822-1474 USA
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  3. [3]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, status explanation
    Contract Number: 80NSSC24PB225
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  4. [4]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, role, aliases
    CU Aerospace (CUA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) propose to develop novel plasma reactors for the generation of useful carbon products, to meet the objectives of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) in future NASA missions.
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  5. [5]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, resources
    The team will focus its research on generating ethylene
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  6. [6]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: target bodies, summary
    including both Martian planetary and habitable atmospheres
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  7. [7]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, open evidence gaps
    Total Award Amount: $156,495
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  8. [8]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary
    July 30, 2024 Award Start Date
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  9. [9]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: summary, status explanation
    September 8, 2025 Award End Date
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  10. [10]Plasma Reactor Techniques for Carbon Product Generation from the Martian Environment
    U.S. Small Business Administration, SBIR.govGovernment recordAccessed 2026-11-01Supports: status explanation
    UEI: X95KNGLAEMH7
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.

Cite this record

SpaceMiningData, “CU Aerospace L.L.C.”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/organizations/cu-aerospace.html. Record checked 2026-11-01.