Founded by a former senior engineer a Lockheed, areas of research focus of Pioneer Astronautics - formerly dba Pioneer Invention - have included new methods of rocket propulsion, systems for manufacturing rocket fuel and oxygen on Mars, space-suit breathing systems, solar sails, magnetic sails, Mars balloon systems, and robotic Mars rocket hoppers. With extensive experience in conducting both analytical and experimental studies of novel types of spacecraft, propulsion systems, and extraterrestrial in-situ resource processes, in the more recent past, the firm is primarily NASA funded. Still small scale but having current NASA Phase II funding, in July 2020, Voyager for an undisclosed amount, Pioneer Astronautics was acquired Voyager Space Holdings. Pioneer Astronautics has been selected by NASA to build and demonstrate hardware to produce oxygen and steel from lunar regolith, or soil. The technology is designed andintneded to support sustainable lunar operations such as manufacturing using resources already on the Moon, also known as in-situ resource utilization.
