CU AEROSPACE L.L.C.

Champaign, IL · Aerospace · Private

Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) for satellite propulsion and orbital debris removal

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Updated Oct 23, 2026 · cuaerospace.com

Sector: Aerospace
Headquarters: Champaign, IL
Total capital: $37.6M

Federal grants: $16.6M; 33 awards · 2015–2026; Rank in peer group#11 of 155
Private capital raised: None on recordNo Form D filings on SEC EDGAR. Some raises are not filed.
Federal contracts: $21M; 41 awards · Defense, NASA, Interior; Rank in Aerospace#149 of 1335
Granted patents: None on recordNo USPTO grants. Applications publish after 18 months.

Capital timeline

Latest events

Sep 2026Federal grantNASA · Phase I · SBIR Phase 1 Mini 20K Pulse Tube Cryocooler For Small Sat Cooling$225K
Aug 2024Federal contractNASA · Plasma Reactor Techniques For Carbon Product Generation From The Martian Environment$156K
Jul 2024Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Plasma Reactor Techniques For Carbon Product Generation From The Martian Environment$156K
Sep 2023Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) for Active Debris Removal$2.6M
Jun 2023Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Three-Stage Cryocooler Cold Head for Advanced Heterodyne Sensors$900K
May 2023Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Quick Turn Pulsed Plasma Thruster (QT-PPT) for Deorbiting Applications$900K
Dec 2022Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Launch Hardened Universal Payload Interface for Modular Components and Architectures$150K

Show 67 earlier federal awards

Jul 2022Federal contractNASA · E014042 SBIR Phase I Three-stage Cryocooler Cold Head For Advanced Heterodyne Sensors$156K
Jul 2022Federal contractNASA · E014042 SBIR Phase I Quick Turn Pulsed Plasma Thruster (qt-ppt) For Deorbiting Applications$156K
Mar 2022Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Low Cost High Efficiency Cryocooler Cold Head$1.5M
Nov 2021Federal contractDefense · EO14042 - Research Iaw Sow Entitled Transforming The Battlespace: Space Systems$1.0M
Aug 2021Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Rotor Blade Designs for Quiet Performance$750K
Aug 2021Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Advanced Flow Control System for In-Space Electric Propulsion$755K
Dec 2020Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Low Cost High Efficiency Cryocooler Cold Head$155K
Dec 2020Federal contractDefense · Rotor Blade Designs For Quiet Performance$150K
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Plasma-Based Techniques for Spacecraft Contamination Control$125K
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Icing Hazard Mitigation for UAM Flight Safety$125K
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Suite of Lagrangian Coherent Structure (SuiteLCS) Software$125K
Jul 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Low Flame Temperature Monopropellant Propulsion Unit for Cubesats (MPUC)$755K
Feb 2020Federal contractNASA · Tipping Point - Topic 3. Efficient And Affordable Propulsion Systems. Dual Propulsion Experiment Cube Satellite$2.2M
Dec 2019Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Scalable and Distributed Inertial Navigation Systems$755K
Aug 2019Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Aircraft Thermal System Evaluation and Analysis Tools$146K
Aug 2019Federal grantNASA · Phase I · CubeSail-D: A Module for Accelerated Spacecraft Deorbiting$125K
Aug 2019Federal contractNASA · Low Flame Temperature Monopropellant Propulsion Unit For Cubesats (mpuc)$125K
Aug 2019Federal contractNASA · Advanced Flow Control System For In-space Electric Propulsion"$125K
Aug 2019Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Dynamically Leveraged Automated (N) Multibody Trajectory Optimization$755K
Jul 2018Federal contractNASA · Current State Of The Art Inertial Measurement Units (imus) Co-locate A Set Of Accelerometers And Gyroscopes Into A Single Package. Cu Aerospace (cua), In Partnership With The University Of Illinois, Propose To Develop A Scalable And Distributed Imu For Space Robotics And Cubesat Applications. The User Can Choose To Include An Arbitrary Number Of Inertial Sensors Beyond The Minimal Number Of Sensors Required For Inertial Navigation (3 Gyroscopes And 3 Accelerometers). This Scalability Enables Bot$125K
Jun 2018Federal contractNASA · Cu Aerospace (cua) Proposes Further Development Of The Dynamically Leveraged Automated (n) Multi- Body Trajectory Optimization (dylan) Tool, Which Solves Impulsive And Low-thrust Global Optimization Problems In Multi-body Dynamical Regimes, And Can Do So In An Automated Fashion. NASA And Commercial Entities Are In Need Of Advanced Methods That Allow For Rapid Analysis Of Complex Trajectory Optimization Problems, So That The Most Informed Decisions With Regard To Mission Design Can Be Made At An $125K
May 2018Federal contractNASA · Nonlinear Programming (nlp) Allows For The Solution Of Complex Engineering Problems, However, None Of The Currently Available Solvers Fully Capitalize On Parallel Computing. Many NASA Trajectory Design Packages (otis, Emtg, Malto) Have Already Had Their Own Code Streamlined, And It Is Now The Serial Execution Of Existing Nlp Solvers That Represents The Largest Bottleneck. It Is The Goal Of This Phase II Effort To Further Develop The Cua Openmp Nonlinear Optimization Tool (compnot), Which Will Ut$754K
Apr 2018Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Fiber-fed Advanced Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT)$755K
Apr 2018Federal contractNASA · Cu Aerospace (cua) Proposes The Continued Development Of A Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (fppt) That Will Enable Cis-lunar And Deep Space Missions For Small Satellites. While Classic Ppt Technology Is Mature, It Has Historically Been Limited By Its Propellant Load To Precision Pointing And Small Delta-v Applications. A Recent Thruster Advancement By Cua, Monofilament Vaporization Propulsion (mvp), Adapted Extrusion 3D Printing Technology To Feed Polymer Propellant Fiber To A Resistojet Thrust$1.1M
Mar 2018Federal grantDefense · Phase I · High-Efficiency Low-Volume Flight Pulse Tube Cryocooler$100K
Jul 2017Federal contractInterior · Igf::ot::igf Persistent Platform In Geosynchronous Earth Orbit$1.5M
Jun 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase I · CUA OpenMP Nonlinear Optimization Tool$125K
Jun 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase I · I-Sail: 2500-Square-Meter Solar Sail Prototype Demonstrator$125K
Jun 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Strain Actuated Solar Arrays (SASA)$125K
Apr 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase II · NonLinear Parallel OPtimization Tool$750K
Apr 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Monofilament Vaporization Propulsion (MVP) System$750K
Apr 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Cyclotronic Plasma Actuator with Arc-Magnet for Active Flow Control$750K
Apr 2017Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Monofilament Vaporization Propulsion (mvp) Is An Innovative New Propulsion Technology Targeted At Secondary Payload Applications. The Approach With Mvp, Rather Than Using Exotic Propellants To Achieve Maximum Specific Impulse And System Performance, Is To Use An Inexpensive, Inert, Solid Propellant. This Enables The Use Of A Propulsion System On Lower Budget Missions By Lowering The Unit Cost (no Valves Or Pressure Vessels), And Minimizes Range Safety Expenses. By Using A Commercia$755K
Apr 2017Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Cu Aerospace And Team Partner The University Of Illinois At Urbana-champaign Propose To Develop A New Type Of Plasma-based Flow Control Actuator, Which Uses A High-voltage Electrode That Arcs To A Cylindrical Grounded Electrode Within A Magnetic Field. The Result Is That An Arc Plasma Can Be Produced, With A Lorentz Force That Creates A Plasma Disc (similar Concept To A Cyclotron). The Thought Behind This Concept Is That The Thermal Actuator Authority Provided By The Plasma Arc Is $755K
Apr 2017Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf The Technological Advancement Proposed Is A Novel Large-scale Noninear Parallel Optimization Tool (nlparopt). This Software Package Will Eliminate The Computational Bottleneck Suffered By Many Standard Nasa-utilized Analysis Tools Such As Gmat, Emtg And Nastran. Currently These Programs Rely On Serial Nonlinear Programming Solvers Such As The Sparse Nonlinear Optimizer (snopt), Despite The Fact That Their Own Codebases Support Full Parallelization. The Same Is True For Tools Used I$755K
Jul 2016Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Sacrificial Fiber Anisotropic Recuperator (SFAR)$80K
Jun 2016Federal grantDefense · Phase I · SYNERGEO: Cooperative Reconfigurable Persistent Geostationary Support Platform$150K
Jun 2016Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Microcapillary Recuperative Heat Exchanger (MRHX)$125K
Jun 2016Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Monofilament Vaporization Propulsion (mvp) Is A New Propulsion Technology Targeted At Secondary Payload Applications. It Does Not Compromise On Performance While Using Safe, Clean, Propellant Without Storage Or Handling Concerns. Potential Issues With Liquid Propellants Such As Freezing And Over-pressurization In The Space Environment Do Not Apply To Mvp As Its Propellant Is A Solid. Mvp Harnesses Technology Used In 3D Printing Applications To Feed Propellant Into Proven Electrothe$125K
Jun 2016Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Cu Aerospace, In Partnership With The University Of Illinois Propose The Further Development Of A New Sparse Nonlinear Programming Architecture That Exploits Parallelism At Three Levels. The Nonlinear Parallel Optimization Tool (nlparopt) Is A Black-box Nlp Solver Intended To Take Advantage Of Multicore Processors And Distributed Processing Super Computers Alike To Vastly Improve The Time-to-solution For Optimization Problems. It Has Been Built With NASA Trajectory Optimizat$125K
Jun 2016Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Cu Aerospace And Team Partner The University Of Illinois At Urbana-champaign Propose To Develop A New Type Of Plasma-based Flow Control Actuator, Which Uses A High-voltage Electrode That Arcs To A Cylindrical Grounded Electrode Within A Magnetic Field. The Result Is That An Arc Plasma Can Be Produced, With A Lorentz Force That Creates A Plasma Disc (similar Concept To A Cyclotron). The Thought Behind This Concept Is That The Thermal Actuator Authority Provided By The Plasma Arc Is $125K
Nov 2015Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Thermal Management System Toolkit for Naval Warfare Applications$80K
Aug 2015Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Monopropellant Propulsion Unit for Cubesats (MPUC) Thruster System$150K
Jul 2015Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Microvascular Composites for Novel Thermal Management Devices$750K
Mar 2015Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Nonequilibrium Plasma-Assisted Combustion-Efficiency Control in Vitiated Air$750K
Jul 2014Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf Dynamic Aircraft Energy Management Optimization$750K
Jun 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Cu Aerospace Proposes The Development Of A New Parallel Nonlinear Program (nlp) Solver Software Package. Nlps Allow The Solution Of Complex Optimization Problems, And There Exist Today A Number Of Capable Nlp Solvers Typically Used Within The Astrodynamics Community. Unfortunately, None Of Them Take Into Account The Capabilities Of A High Performance Computer With Thousands Of Processors, Nor Use The Recent Advances In Graphics Processing Unit (gpu) Calculation. Many NASA Optimal Tr$125K
May 2014Federal contractDefense · N141-080$80K
Apr 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Cu Aerospace Proposes To Perform Design, Fabrication, And Ground Test Validation Of A Nanosat Primary Propulsion Subsystem Using Non-toxic R134A Propellant. Our Approach, Called Cubesat High Impulse Propulsion System (chips), Leverages Cu Aerospace's Very High Efficiency Warm-gas Variant Of An Innovative Resistojet That Significantly Boosts The Performance Of Standard Cold-gas Systems With The Existing Micro Propulsion System (mips) Thruster Technology Development By Our Team Partn$750K
Feb 2014Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf Nonequilibrium Plasma-assisted Combustion-efficiency Control In Vitiated Air$150K
Dec 2013Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf Osd (STTR Phase 1) Microvascular Composites For Novel Thermal Management Devices$150K
Aug 2013Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf Dynamic Aircraft Energy Management Optimization Tools$150K
May 2013Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Cu Aerospace Proposes The Ground Test Validation Of A Nanosat Primary Propulsion Subsystem Using Non-toxic Propellant With 3-AXIS Acs For Orbit Change And/or De-orbit Capability, Precision Maneuvering, And Drag Makeup. Our Approach, Called The Cubesat High Impulse Propulsion System (chips), Leverages The Existing Micro Propulsion System (mips) Thruster Technology Development By Our Team Partner Vacco Industries And Enhances It With The Cu Aerospace Very High Efficiency Warm Gas Var$125K
Apr 2013Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf STTR Phase I Base Research&development. Ultra-high Efficiency Multi-physics Cfd Simulation Software For Dpal/laser System Analysis$100K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · Cu Aerospace And Team Partner, The University Of Illinois At Urbana-champaign, Propose To Perform Innovative Research And Development That Targets The Design And Control Of Adaptive Bioassistive And Telerobotic Devices - Abatrods - That Augment Normal Musculoskeletal Function In Rapidly Changing And Disruptive Environments While Providing Predictable Response. Abatrods Accommodate Fast Changes In Environment While Actively Shaping The Response To Muscle Actuation To That Anticipated By The Opera$125K
Oct 2011Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase I Topic N112-104$80K
May 2011Federal contractDefense · Liquid Rocket Engine Technology Development (lretd)-propulsion Unit For Cubesats (puc)$3.7M
Jul 2010Federal contractDefense · R&d STTR Topic N10A-T007$70K
Jan 2010Federal contractNASA · TAS::80 0123::TAS Better Performing Ablative Thermal Protection Systems Than Currently Available Are Needed To Satisfy Requirements Of The Most Severe Crew Exploration Vehicles, Such As The Mars Sample Return With 12-15 Km/s Earth Entry. The Primary Objective Of Cu Aerospace's Phase I Work Will Be To Fabricate And Test Aromatic Thermosetting Copolyesters (atsp) Composites For Use As Ablatives In Next Generation Spacecraft Missions. The Synthetic Development Of Novel Aromatic Thermosetting Copoly$100K
Oct 2009Federal contractDefense · U435CFM Multifunctional Composites Research$70K
Jan 2009Federal contractDefense · "high-power, Narrow Linewidth Laser Diodes For Alkali Atoms"$99K
Dec 2008Federal contractNASA · Ultrasail Solar Sail Flight Experiment A Team Of Cu Aerospace, The University Of Illinois, And Mantech Srs Technologies Proposes Phase II Development Of A 3 Kg Cubesat Spacecraft For Initial Flight Test Of A 20 M2 Ultrasail, A Next-generation High-risk, High-payoff Solar Sail System For The Launch, Deployment, Stabilization And Control Of Very Large (KM2 Class) Solar Sails, Enabling Very High Payload Mass Fractions For Interplanetary And Deep Space Spacecraft. Ultrasail Is An Innovative, Non-tr$600K
Feb 2008Federal contractDefense · Contract Summary Report.$100K
Jan 2008Federal contractNASA · Ultrasail Solar Sail Flight Experiment$100K
Nov 2007Federal contractDefense · (STTR Phase II) Self-healing Adhesives And Composites For Aerospace Systems$750K
Jul 2007Federal contractDefense · Mda SBIR Phase II$1.0M
Sep 2003Federal contractDefense · 200312!003059!2100!SG60 !usa Space And Strategic Def Cdr !DASG6003C0098 !a!n! !n! !20030918!20050918!041929402!041929402!041929402!N!CU Aerospace Llc !60 Hazelwood Drive !champaign !IL!61820!12385!019!17!CHAMPAIGN !champaign !illinois !+000000050000!N!N!000000000000!AC23!RDTE/MISSILE And Space Systems-adv Tech Dev !A2 !missile And Space Systems !4CAA!BALLISTIC Missile Defense Sys !541710!E! !3! ! ! ! ! !99990909!B$1.5M

Federal awards are summed by year (74 awards); hover a bar for the split. Form D reports securities sold, which can differ from an announced round; filings are numbered in the order they were made.

Standing among 155 peers

Line = median

Aerospace · Satellite · Device

Federal grants#11 · top 7%

Cumulative measures favor older companies. Rankings describe position today, not outcome. Below the median, ranks show as a band rather than a number.

Founders and team

No founders are linked to this company yet.

Founders appear once a person is matched to the company through its own patents, grants or filings. We never infer people from social profiles.

Checked: USPTO inventors; federal award principal investigators; SEC Form D related persons · Oct 23, 2026

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What it has protected

No granted patents are on record.

USPTO usually publishes applications 18 months after filing, so recent applications may not be visible yet. Patents assigned under a different entity name won’t match.

Checked: USPTO granted patents and published applications · Oct 23, 2026

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Regulatory activity · Aerospace

Sector-level, not company-level

06 Jul 2026Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of NASA-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964National Aeronautics and Space Administration
01 Jul 2026Special Conditions: AMAC Aerospace, The Boeing Company Model 747- 8 Airplane; Side-Facing SeatsFederal Aviation Administration
26 Jun 2026Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures; Miscellaneous AmendmentsFederal Aviation Administration
23 Jun 2026Operating Limitations at John F. Kennedy International AirportFederal Aviation Administration
23 Jun 2026Operating Limitations at New York LaGuardia AirportFederal Aviation Administration
18 Jun 2026Special Conditions: Honeywell Aerospace US LLC, Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 900EX Airplane; Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized External AccessFederal Aviation Administration

Rules are matched to sector, not to company. Recent activity in a sector is context rather than a signal about this business — until rules are matched to what a company actually builds, the section is shown as context and nothing more.

Sources

Federal grants from SBIR/STTR, NIH, NSF and DoD records. Federal contracts from USAspending.gov. Private capital from SEC Form D. Patents from USPTO. Publications from OpenAlex. Regulatory activity from the Federal Register. Press matched on company name.

How to read this page

Figures show associations in public records, not causes or predictions. Nothing here is investment advice. An em-dash means no record was found under this company's name, not that none exists.

Data freshness

SEC Form D filings through Oct 23, 2026. SBIR and STTR awards through Oct 21, 2026.