PIONEER ASTRONAUTICS

Lakewood, CO · Aerospace · Acquired by Voyager Space Holdings (2020)

Enabling SmallSat Propulsion (ESP) system using non-toxic nitrous-ethane-ethylene liquid propellant for spacecraft axial and attitude control thrusters

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Updated Oct 23, 2026 · pioneerastro.com

Sector: Aerospace
Headquarters: Lakewood, CO
Total capital: $8.2M

Federal grants: $8.2M; 12 awards · 2016–2023; Rank in peer group#24 of 89
Private capital raised: None on recordNo Form D filings on SEC EDGAR. Some raises are not filed.
Federal contracts: None on recordNo federal contract awards found.
Granted patents: 6; 25 pending · first 2014; Rank in peer group#15 of 89

Capital timeline

Latest events

Mar 2023Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Enabling SmallSat Propulsion for Orbital Maneuverability$1.7M
May 2021Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Radiator Free Engine$131K
Sep 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Moon to Mars Oxygen and Steel Technology$4M
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Magsails for Spacecraft Deorbit$125K
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Magnetic Phase Separator$125K
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Gas Replacement System (GRS)$125K
Aug 2019Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Lunar Exploration Gas Spectrometer$125K

Show 5 earlier federal awards

Mar 2019Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Storable Clean Ethane/ethylene Nitrous Engine (SCENE)$100K
Jun 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Advanced Mars Water Acquisition System$125K
Jul 2016Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Rare Earth Materials Recovery System$103K
Apr 2016Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Nitrous Ethane-Ethylene Rocket with Hypergolic Ignition$750K
Apr 2016Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Carbonaceous Asteroid Volatile Recovery (CAVoR) system$750K

Node area is scaled to amount. Form D reports securities sold, which can differ from an announced round; filings are numbered in the order they were made.

Standing among 89 peers

Line = median

Aerospace · Orbital_ops · System

Federal grants#24 · top 27%
Granted patents#15 · top 17%
Linked publications#3 · top 3%

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

USPTO · 6 granted of 31

Jul 23, 2024GrantedDust Repellent Silica And Titania CoatingsUSPTOUS 12,043,746
Feb 20, 2024GrantedAlkaline Solution Method For Recovering Rare Earth ElementsUSPTOUS 11,905,573
Jun 15, 2023PendingPortable Balloon Launch SystemsUSPTOApplication 18063941

Show all 31 patent records

Dust Repellent Silica And Titania CoatingsJul 23, 2024 · US 12,043,746Granted
Alkaline Solution Method For Recovering Rare Earth ElementsFeb 20, 2024 · US 11,905,573Granted
Portable Balloon Launch SystemsJun 15, 2023 · Application 18063941Pending
Gas Replacement SystemNov 24, 2022 · Application 17750120Pending
Rare Earth Element Extraction And RecyclingSep 29, 2022 · Application 17703339Pending
Cobalt Extraction And Recycling From Permanent MagnetsSep 29, 2022 · Application 17703137Pending
Alkaline Solution Method For Recovering Rare Earth ElementsSep 14, 2021 · US 11,118,245Granted
Dipole Drive for Space PropulsionAug 3, 2021 · US 11,077,963Granted
Adaptable Solar ConcentratorApr 22, 2021 · Application 17072274Pending
Systems, Devices, And Methods For Improving Ambient Air Quality During Dental, Medical, Or Veterinary ProceduresSep 10, 2020 · Application 16811986Pending
Methods and Apparatus for Recovery of Volatile and Carbonaceous Components from Unconventional FeedsJul 12, 2018 · Application 15861557Pending
Novel Methods of Metals ProcessingJun 28, 2018 · Application 15850375Pending
Photo-Catalytic Oxidation Reaction SystemJan 12, 2017 · Application 15203563Pending
Organic Fuel and Waste ReformerApr 28, 2016 · Application 14921981Pending
Portable Gas Generating DeviceMar 15, 2016 · US 9,283,530Granted
Portable Gas Generating DeviceFeb 18, 2014 · US 8,652,402Granted
Dust Repellent Silica And Titania CoatingsApplication PCTUS2022028539Pending
Carbonaceous Asteroid Volatile Recovery SystemApplication 62442410Pending
Novel Methods of Metals ProcessingApplication 62437854Pending
Rare Earth Materials Recovery SystemApplication 62435523Pending
Photo-Catalytic Oxidation Reaction SystemApplication 62190468Pending
Organic Waste ReformerApplication 62068454Pending
Dust-repellent Silica And Titania CoatingsApplication 63242218Pending
Hybrid ParachuteApplication PCTUS2007079210Pending
Gas Replacement SystemApplication 63190971Pending
Rare Earth Element Extraction and RecyclingApplication 63165458Pending
Cobalt Extraction and Recycling from Permanent MagnetsApplication 63165467Pending
Adaptable Solar Concentrator: A Lower Cost Alternative To The State-of-the-art Cpv SystemsApplication 62916195Pending
Air Launchable Balloon SystemsApplication 63288097Pending
Systems, Devices, And Methods For Improving Ambient Air Quality During Dental, Medical, Or Veterinary ProceduresApplication 62815975Pending
Dipole Drive for Space PropulsionApplication 62641973Pending

Recent research by its founders

Artifical Singularity Power Engines: A Basis for Developing and Detecting Advanced Spacefaring Civilizations20240 cites
Technological Requirements for Settling Mars20240 cites
Local Resource Creation on Mars20230 cites

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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.