Cosmic One aims to decarbonize aviation

Cosmic Aerospace is trying to change that. The Colorado-based startup is developing Cosmic One, a four-seat electric airplane with a hoped-for range of 250 nautical miles plus VFR reserves, endurance of more than two hours, and a cruise speed of up to 250 knots.

The company's cofounder and CEO, Christopher Chahine, said the project grew out of a question inspired partly by the rise of electric cars: if companies such as Tesla could build electric vehicles from a clean-sheet design, could aviation follow a similar path? "We started Cosmic Aerospace essentially four years ago with the slightly crazy idea of decarbonizing aviation," he said.

Cosmic One uses six electric motors integrated into the airframe as part of what Cosmic calls its embedded wing architecture. The company has tested two scale models to prove the concept, and plans to fly a full-scale prototype in 2028, with deliveries targeted for 2029. Its published specifications include a 4,400-pound maximum takeoff weight, a 49-foot wingspan, a climb rate of 2,000 feet per minute, and a 30-minute recharge with compatible DC fast-charging equipment.

The FAA's Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification rule (MOSAIC), which took effect July 24, expanded the light-sport aircraft category and created a certification pathway for aircraft such as Cosmic One. The company designed the airplane specifically to meet the new MOSAIC framework. The rule allows light-sport category airplanes, including four-seat electric airplanes, to qualify for airworthiness certificates based on a stall speed limit, rather than a weight limit, and compliance with industry consensus standards rather than with a federal regulation. Many of the costs associated with Part 23 certification, including the cost of hiring engineers who are approved by the FAA to oversee each step, have been reduced or eliminated. "We've designed and developed Cosmic One specifically for the MOSAIC rules," Chahine said. Cosmic participated in the ASTM International committee developing consensus standards used in the certification framework, he said.

The company believes that flight time matters as much as range. Cosmic estimates that a 250-nm range would cover 80 to 90 percent of the trips done by most private pilots and flight schools.

Electric power may make the airplane easier for students to operate. "You don't have to manage a complex piston engine anymore," Chahine said. "It's very much a push-button start. Electric motors are super simple." Cosmic says the airplane will use a single power lever and six independent propulsors for backup. That system will still need to be proved through testing and certification.

For flight schools, Cosmic is designing the airplane around existing automotive charging technology rather than an airport-only system. "The typical recharge time with a Level 3 automotive charger, so a DC fast charger, would be 30 minutes," he said. A Level 2 charger would take several hours or could be used overnight.

Cosmic's target market includes private owners, flying clubs, and flight schools. Colorado's Centennial Flyers, its first U.S. launch customer, has reserved four aircraft with options for two more.

The savings could be greatest for airplanes that fly often. Cosmic estimates that an airplane flying about 500 hours a year could cost about 30 percent less to operate than a similar piston aircraft. The estimate will become more precise as production aircraft begin flying regularly.

Noise is a key consideration, especially at airports located near communities sensitive to aircraft activity. Cosmic started working with airports on charging stations and electric-aircraft operations. The company says it now has 18 airport partners in the United States and Europe.

Without a conventional engine in the nose, Cosmic had room to rethink the cabin, with more headroom, and larger windows. "You don't have a piston engine in front of you anymore," he said. "You have a very big windshield so the forward visibility, but then also the visibility to the side is really good."

The enthusiasm still has to survive turning a prototype into a certified production airplane. Cosmic's goal of delivering its first customer aircraft in 2029 is ambitious, to say the least. "We believe with the MOSAIC pathway, it is feasible," Chahine said. "That is really the key enabler here."

Cosmic One eventually hopes to apply the same technology to commercial aircraft, including its proposed 24-passenger Skylark. For now, it sees general aviation as a more immediate path to getting the technology into service.

"Becoming a private pilot is not that easy," Chahine said. "It requires a lot of effort. It's not that cheap. And we think electrification will enable us to bring that barrier down without compromising safety."

Chahine also believes technical progress should not come at the expense of what draws many people to fly in the first place.

"Obviously it's going to be fun to fly," he said.