AeroFly LLC¶
SDSU spinout building modular lunar regolith conveyors for ISRU
Updated: Session 99 (2026-04-07)
Company Profile¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Brookings, SD (Research Park at SDSU) |
| Type | University spinout (South Dakota State University) |
| Incorporated | May 2021 (SD LLC) |
| CEO | Gordon Niva (1973 SDSU grad, 40+ years aerospace) |
| CTO/Co-founder | Marco Ciarcià (now Associate Professor, Colorado State University) |
| Co-founder/PI | Todd Letcher (Associate Professor, SDSU Mechanical Engineering) |
| Team | Liam Murray, Carter Waggoner, Allea Klauenberg, Dylan Stephens, Alex Shaar, Braxton McGrath, Devin van Ballegooyen, Nicholas Sieler |
AeroFly is a Brookings-based space technology startup operating from the Research Park at SDSU. The company's story begins in December 2019 when SDSU assistant professor Marco Ciarcià and associate professor Todd Letcher received a $148K NASA grant to develop human-carrying drones. The LLC was formally incorporated in May 2021, initially focused on agricultural drones before pivoting to off-Earth robotics and lunar ISRU in 2022 following NASA competition success.
Competition wins: Lunar Transport Vehicle (1st, RASC-AL 2023), Break the Ice Lunar Challenge (Phase 1 runner-up 2021, Phase 2 Level 2 2022), FLOATing DRAGON finalist (2023), Moon to Mars Ice & Prospecting Challenge (Clearest Water Award 2021).
Co-founder departure: Marco Ciarcià moved to Colorado State University as Associate Professor (Mechanical Engineering), where he continues as CTO. His research focus spans UAS, robotics, and spacecraft guidance. Gordon Niva, a 1973 SDSU graduate with 40+ years of aerospace industry experience, serves as CEO.
FO Project¶
184145 — Rego-LIFT (Lunar ISRU Feedstock Transporter)¶
- Status: Active (Jun 2025 – Jun 2027)
- TRL: Not yet reported (target TRL 6)
- TX: TX07.1.2 Resource Acquisition, Isolation, and Preparation
- Destination: Moon and Cislunar
- Flight: Parabolic flights (lunar gravity phases) — suborbital flight opportunity via TechLeap Prize in 2026
- Technology: Compact modular vertical conveyor using rotating drum + static central screw for lunar regolith transport. Addresses the ~10m vertical lift needed to move regolith from lunar surface to elevated oxygen ISRU processing plant. Low-speed design minimizes dust generation and mechanical wear. Phase I demonstrated >10 kg/hr throughput with LSP-2 simulant, surpassing 600 kg/hr in near-vertical trials.
TechLeap Prize winner — selected from 200+ applicants for up to $500K + suborbital flight test in 2026.
TechPort Footprint¶
| Project | Program | Role | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184145 | FO | Lead | 2025–2027 | Rego-LIFT parabolic + suborbital |
Todd Letcher also appears as Co-I on: | 156776 | EPSCoR | Co-I | 2020–2021 | GRCop-42 copper alloy DED characterization (SD School of Mines) |
The GRCop-42 project is relevant — it's the same copper alloy NASA uses for 3D-printed rocket combustion chambers. Letcher's team was the first to successfully print GRCop-42 via Directed Energy Deposition, a complementary manufacturing technique to the powder bed fusion NASA previously used.
Funding¶
USASpending ($1.20M across 3 awards, all NASA)¶
| Award | Amount | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80NSSC25C0087 | $898.9K | Aug 2025 – Aug 2027 | SBIR Phase II — Vertical lunar regolith conveyance for ISRU |
| 80NSSC25C0124 | $149.8K | Sep 2025 – Apr 2026 | SBIR Phase I — Integrated regolith excavation + water extraction using auger-dryer systems |
| 80NSSC24PB255 | $149.5K | Aug 2024 – Feb 2025 | SBIR Phase I — Modular static auger systems for bulk material handling |
Pattern: Classic SBIR ramp — Phase I (2024) → Phase II ($899K, 2025) + parallel Phase I on second product line (excavation + water extraction). Two concurrent technology tracks from a single core competency (auger/screw conveying).
No DoD or other agency contracts found.¶
Current Status (as of April 2026)¶
- Flight-unit integration underway at Brookings facility (6–9 month timeline before microgravity testing)
- Full-scale 30-foot model expected to be completed in 2026
- Parabolic flights scheduled for 2026 (TechLeap Prize)
- Post-mission analyses will be shared following 2026 launch
- Team has expanded to 8+ members including SDSU students recruited into the company
Upstream Lineage¶
- Origin: Dec 2019 NASA grant ($148K) for drone research at SDSU → pivoted to space tech 2022
- PI academic work: Letcher's lab at SDSU focuses on additive manufacturing and experimental mechanics; GRCop-42 DED work is NASA-funded
- Competition pipeline: Multiple NASA challenge wins (2021–2023) built credibility before SBIR entry
- Co-founder trajectory: Ciarcià (spacecraft guidance/robotics) left SDSU for Colorado State but continues as CTO
Downstream Potential¶
- Artemis ISRU pipeline: Rego-LIFT addresses a specific gap — vertical regolith transport to elevated processing plants. This is a supply chain component, not a standalone system. Value depends on ISRU plant architecture decisions.
- Second product line: The parallel Phase I on excavation + water extraction in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) suggests AeroFly is positioning as a full regolith handling provider, not just a conveyor company.
- Commercial: Description mentions "lunar lander providers, commercial resource extraction companies, and related terrestrial mining and materials transport industries" — but no commercial traction yet.
Assessment¶
| Dimension | Rating |
|---|---|
| Technology readiness | Early (pre-flight; Phase I validated throughput on simulant) |
| Funding trajectory | Rising — Phase II awarded, second product line started |
| Commercial viability | Pre-revenue; depends on Artemis ISRU timeline |
| Downstream impact | Too early to assess (FO flight not yet occurred) |
| Confidence | Suggestive — strong university pipeline, but years from deployment |
Time dimension: Company incorporated May 2021 but pivoted to space tech in 2022. First SBIR Phase I in Aug 2024, Phase II in Aug 2025, TechLeap Prize in Jun 2025. Rapid acceleration from competitions to funded contracts in under 2 years. Flight-unit integration now underway — parabolic flights scheduled 2026.
What changed (Session 61): Corrected founding date (2021, not ~2023). Added co-founder Ciarcià's move to Colorado State. Expanded team roster (8+ members). Added current flight integration status — 6-9 months to microgravity testing. Full-scale 30-foot model in progress.
Session 99 Refresh (2026-04-07)¶
No material change since Session 61. USASpending unchanged ($1.20M, 3 awards). No new contracts. Phase I SBIR 80NSSC25C0124 (auger-dryer excavation) ending Apr 2026 — Phase II decision imminent. Full-scale 30-foot Rego-LIFT model expected summer 2026 per SDSU "Ad lunam" article. TechLeap parabolic flight still scheduled 2026, no specific date announced.
Open Questions¶
- ~~When exactly is the TechLeap parabolic flight?~~ Still TBD — likely summer/fall 2026
- Will the excavation + water extraction Phase I (80NSSC25C0124, ending Apr 2026) lead to Phase II? — Decision window is NOW (Apr 2026)
- How does Rego-LIFT integrate with specific ISRU oxygen extraction systems (e.g., carbothermal, hydrogen reduction)?
- What role does Ciarcià play remotely from CSU? Is the SDSU-CSU distributed model sustainable?
Sources: TechPort 184145, 156776; USASpending; SDSU News ("Ad lunam" Nov 2025, "Taking flight" May 2025); Brookings Register; Research Park at SDSU; NASA TechLeap Prize; CSU ME faculty page