Pioneer Aerospace Corporation

Not to be confused with Pioneer Instrument Company or Pioneer Rocketplane.

Pioneer Aerospace Corporation is one of the largest aerodynamic deceleration manufacturers in the world.[1] Since 1938, the company has designed and manufactured parachutes and parafoils for use by the military, leisure use and numerous NASA missions. Pioneer's main factory and distribution centers are located in Columbia, Mississippi[2] and Bloomfield, Connecticut.[3]

History

The Pioneer Parachute Company was formed in 1938, by Connecticut silk manufacturers Cheney Mills.[4] James Floyd Smith, inventor of the modern parachute, was one of the founders of the new company.[5]

Pioneer partnered with DuPont to use the recently developed Nylon as an alternative to silk, and experimented with chute properties and optimised packing over the next 4 years. In June 1942, Adeline Grey was the first person to successfully test the human-rated parachute. This led to Pioneer becoming the world's leading manufacturer of parachutes, producing 300 per day at the height of WWII.

A Canadian subsidiary The Pioneer Parachute Company of Canada Ltd operated in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Canada from 1954 until 1962.

Aerospace

After the war, the company started to develop applications for the growing aerospace sector. In 1962, Pioneer bought the rights to the newly invented "Parasail", and tested this as a landing method for the Gemini spacecraft. [6]

Pioneer subsequently produced chutes for many NASA spaceflight programmes, including Mercury, Gemini,[7] the Galileo probe, the Space Shuttle, the Mars Pathfinder missions, the Genesis solar-sample mission, the Stardust Comet Intercept Probe, and the Mars Exploration Rovers.[8]

In 1999, Pioneer manufactured, at the time, the world's largest parafoil (7,500 square ft.) for the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle, an emergency return capsule for the crew of the International Space Station.[9]

In 2020, it was revealed that Pioneer manufactured the drogue parachutes for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft.[10]

Company transfers

The company was subsequently renamed Pioneer Aerodynamic Systems and Pioneer Systems, and by 1988 was known as Pioneer Aerospace [11]

In 1988, Pioneer become a part of Zodiac's Aerosafety Systems Group.[12] On December 1, 2018 Safran acquired Zodiac Aerospace as Safran Aerosystems.[13]

In June 2022, Aviation Safety Resource acquired Pioneer from Safran.[14] [15]

On November 1, 2023, Pioneer Aerospace Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[16] A week later, the company filed a purchase agreement for SpaceX to buy all assets of Pioneer, including intellectual property relating to drogue chutes, and specifically those produced for SpaceX under contract. [17] On November 22, 2023, the $2.2 million acquisition by SpaceX was approved by the bankruptcy court.[18]

References

  1. ^ [1]| Mississippi Group Tour Escort Manual (pdf)
  2. ^ [2]| Bed & Breakfast Association of Mississippi (website); Visit Mississippi One Porch at a Time
  3. ^ [3]| Safran Aerosystems (corporate website), Contact Us
  4. ^ Ofgang, Erik (22 May 2019). "How a Connecticut Company's Parachutes Helped Launch D-Day". CT Insider. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Floyd Smith | The National Inventors Hall of Fame". www.invent.org. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  6. ^ Reuter, Jim. "Pioneer and the Parachute that goes UP" (PDF). Manchester History. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  7. ^ Ofgang, Erik (22 May 2019). "How a Connecticut Company's Parachutes Helped Launch D-Day". CT Insider. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  8. ^ [4]| Mississippi Group Tour Escort Manual (pdf)
  9. ^ [5]| Bed & Breakfast Association of Mississippi (website); Visit Mississippi One Porch at a Time
  10. ^ Speck, Emilee (6 February 2020). "What a catch: Florida fisherman reels in parachutes from SpaceX in-flight abort test". WKMG. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  11. ^ Pioneer Aerospace Standard Products by gina amoroso - Issuu. Pioneer Aerospace. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  12. ^ [6]| Pioneer Aerospace (now defunct corporate website), Company History
  13. ^ [7] Safran shareholders meeting approves the merger of Zodiac Aerospace into Safran with 99.88% voting in favor
  14. ^ "ASR Acquires Pioneer Aerospace". evtol.news.
  15. ^ [8]| Pioneer Aerospace (corporate website), Home
  16. ^ "Pioneer Aerospace Corporation Files For Bankruptcy". BKData. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  17. ^ Foust, Jeff (30 November 2023). "SpaceX acquires parachute supplier". SpaceNews. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  18. ^ "SpaceX Acquires Parachute Maker Pioneer Aerospace for $2.2 Million". The Information. Retrieved 29 November 2023.