Cosmic Aerospace Eyes Four-Seat Electric LSA Under New MOSAIC Rules

Cosmic Aerospace, a Colorado-based manufacturer, is developing a four-seat all-electric aircraft called Cosmic One. The company plans to certify it under the FAA's Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certifications rule, or MOSAIC, which took effect in July. The rule replaced legacy weight-based limits with performance-based standards for light sport aircraft. It allows heavier, faster aircraft to qualify, raises maximum seating capacity from two to four, and permits nontraditional powerplants including electric engines.

Cosmic One is still in the preliminary design stage, according to co-founder and CEO Christopher Chahine. It would be the first clean-sheet, four-seat, all-electric aircraft certified under MOSAIC. Other manufacturers have taken different approaches to the rule. Some retrofit existing airframes with electric engines, while others have designed two-seat electric aircraft from scratch.

Chahine said starting with a new design lets the company integrate the electric technology without the constraints of an existing airframe. Cosmic targets the first flight of a full-scale prototype within 18 to 24 months. That would put Cosmic One on the market after some other MOSAIC-compliant models.