Michigan Aerospace Corporation

What Michigan Aerospace Corporation does

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC), founded in 1996 as a University of Michigan spin-off and headquartered in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a privately held advanced engineering and products company that designs, fabricates, and operates laser-based optical and opto-mechanical sensing systems — primarily direct-detection LIDAR and Fabry-Perot interferometers — for atmospheric measurement on ground-based, airborne, and space-based platforms.

Its product portfolio centers on the AeroForecast family (HALAS, SOFDI, MiniME, MWACS, UV-Lite, OADS, PADS, TWiLiTE), the space-deployed CATS instrument on the International Space Station, the GIFS geostationary spectrometer built for Johns Hopkins APL, plus later software offerings including PLUMESIGHT (LIDAR-based plume classification for the DoD), RECONN.ai (ML wildlife classification), DroN2O (drone-mounted agricultural N2O sensing for carbon markets), SALT LIDAR (underwater Brillouin spectroscopy), and eVADE (airborne volcanic ash detection). MAC holds AS9100 aerospace quality certification and runs a multidisciplinary engineering bench spanning optics, mechanics, electrical, and software.

The firm monetizes primarily through competitive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and Phase II contracts from NASA, DoD (Navy, Air Force, DARPA, OCB), DOE, NIST, and NSF, augmented by product sales (notably HALAS commercialized through Honeywell Aerospace), engineering services, and licensing/spin-off arrangements under the Springmatter commercialization umbrella (including OptoAtmospherics for wind energy and a minority stake in Acousys Biodevices for medical diagnostics). Customers are concentrated in U.S. federal agencies and research institutions, with Honeywell serving as the principal commercial channel. The company operates with 11–50 employees and was last publicly observed winning a DOE SBIR award in December 2023.

Name

Michigan Aerospace Corporation

Legal name

Michigan Aerospace Corporation

Website

https://michiganaerospace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Michigan Aerospace Corporation is a privately held Ann Arbor–based advanced engineering firm that designs and field-laser-based LIDAR and Fabry-Perot interferometer systems for atmospheric sensing on ground, airborne, and space platforms, selling primarily to U.S. federal agencies via SBIR contracts and commercializing select products through partners such as Honeywell.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace LIDAR Systems and Remote Sensing Instruments

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

LiDAR & 3D Sensing Modules (HDAHALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Geospatial Vision (satellite/drone imagery) (HDAAAEAL), Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF), Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• Atmospheric LIDAR systems
• Fabry-Perot interferometers
• Aerospace remote sensing
• Opto-mechanical engineering
• Precision atmospheric measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government SBIR Contracts: Primary revenue through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and Phase II contracts with NASA, Department of Defense (Navy, Air Force, DARPA, Office for Chemical and Biological Defense), and Department of Energy. These are competitive government contracts for research and development of sensing technologies.
2. Product Sales - LIDAR Systems: Direct sales of atmospheric measurement systems including HALAS, SOFDI, OADS, PADS, and other LIDAR products to government agencies and commercial aerospace customers
3. Licensing & Spin-offs: Technology licensing through spin-off companies. UV-Lite wind measurement products licensed to OptoAtmospherics. Wind energy LIDAR technology commercialized through venture-funded spinoff.
4. Engineering Services: Multidisciplinary science and engineering services including analysis, design, fabrication, testing and field support for optical, mechanical, electrical, and software applications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Michigan Aerospace Corporation designs, manufactures, and integrates advanced LIDAR and Fabry-Perot interferometer-based remote sensing systems that measure atmospheric wind, temperature, density, and composition for ground, airborne, and space-based platforms. The company also delivers custom multidisciplinary engineering services and develops machine-learning software (e.g., plume classification, wildlife identification) for defense, aerospace, energy, and research customers.

Product overview

Michigan Aerospace Corporation is an advanced engineering and products company offering innovative LIDAR, optical, and opto-mechanical systems. The core product portfolio centers on the AeroForecast product line providing atmospheric intelligence for ground, airborne, and space applications. Ground systems include HALAS for high-altitude atmospheric sensing and MWACS for multi-wavelength atmospheric characterization. Airborne solutions encompass AeroForecast-OADS for optical air data, AeroForecast-PADS for precision air drops, and TWiLiTE for hurricane tracking. Space-based instruments include CATS on the ISS and GIFS for geostationary weather monitoring. Supporting products include SOFDI, MiNI-ME for thermospheric measurements, and UV-Lite for wind energy. Software products include RECONN.ai for wildlife identification and PLUMESIGHT for LIDAR plume classification. The company specializes in laser-based, optical, and opto-mechanical systems operating in low signal-to-noise conditions and harsh environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AeroForecast: Product line including HALAS (High Altitude LIDAR Atmospheric Sensing), SOFDI, MiNI-ME, MWACS, UV-Lite, OADS (Optical Air Data System), PADS (Precision Air Drop System), and TWiLiTE for atmospheric sensing applications
• eVADE
• SALT LiDAR
• PLUMESIGHT
• RECONN.ai

Products and services

• HALAS (High Altitude LIDAR Atmospheric Sensing)
• SOFDI (Spatial Oscillation Fabry-Perot Doppler Imager)
• MiNI-ME (Miniaturized Nightglow Interferometer for Monitoring Emissions)
• MWACS (Multi-Wavelength Atmospheric Compensation System)
• UV-Lite
• AeroForecast-OADS (Optical Air Data System)
• AeroForecast-PADS (Precision Air Drop System)
• TWiLiTE (Global Hawk Wind LIDAR)
• CATS (Cloud Aerosol Transport System)
• GIFS (Geostationary Imaging Fabry-Perot Spectrometer)
• eVADE (Volcanic Ash Detection Raman LIDAR)
• SALT LiDAR
• RECONN.ai
• PLUMESIGHT
• DroN2O

Quantifiable outcome

• Single-pass capability for air drop operations reduces fuel cost and aircraft exposure to hostile threats
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LifeSpan Behavioral TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2014Partnership to develop technologies for early diagnosis of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. MAC is investing and providing engineering support; Springmatter provides commercialization support.
• Georgia Tech Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2014Air Force Phase I SBIR turbulence detection research conducted in cooperation with Georgia Tech Research Institute.
• Michigan State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2009NSF Phase I SBIR for ground-based wake vortex detection sensor array conducted in cooperation with researchers at Michigan State University.
• MicrocosmminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 16 August 2000Subcontract to assist Microcosm on NASA Marshall ISS 'Alternative Access to Station' program for cargo delivery services, working on docking mechanism and sensor components.
• SpringmattercoreOthersMichigan Aerospace is part of the Springmatter commercialization umbrella, providing assistance to innovators and companies bringing concepts to life. Springmatter offers technology development and business support services including R&D, product development, low-rate initial production, and fundraising.
• Honeywell AerospacecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHALAS (High Altitude LIDAR Atmospheric Sensing) System commercialized through Honeywell Aerospace as a ground-based UV LIDAR and Raman system for high-altitude atmospheric measurement.
• Clemson UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Clemson University to develop SOFDI instrument based on successful HRDI technology, funded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
• University of New HampshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstalled GroundWinds Hawaii ground-based LIDAR system on Mauna Loa in collaboration with University of New Hampshire.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner$748K DOE-funded collaboration to integrate and optimize Michigan Aerospace LIDAR technology with NREL National Wind Technology Center for wind turbine control applications.
• Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilt interferometer for GIFS (Geostationary Imaging Fabry-Perot Spectrometer) instrument for global cloud-top temperature, pressure, and altitude measurements.
• Acousys BiodevicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpringmatter portfolio company developing photoacoustic flow cytometer technology for cancer detection. MAC contributed to technology development and publicity.
• NASA Goddard Space Flight CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilt Fabry-Perot interferometer for CATS (Cloud Aerosol Transport System) deployed on International Space Station for atmospheric monitoring.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Honeywell Aerospace: Honeywell Aerospace is MAC's commercialization partner for the HALAS product line and a major producer of atmospheric and air data systems for commercial and military aircraft. Directly comparable as both customer/channel and competitor in atmospheric sensing, optical air data systems, and weather radar markets.
• Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace (now part of BAE Systems) designs and builds space-qualified optical instruments and LIDAR systems for NASA and DoD missions. Directly comparable as a competitor in space-based atmospheric LIDAR instruments (similar to MAC's CATS, GIFS, MiniME work) and as a SBIR performer for NASA Earth science missions.
• Excelitas Technologies: Excelitas Technologies manufactures LIDAR components, optical sensors, and pulsed laser systems for industrial, aerospace, and defense applications. Directly comparable to MAC's LIDAR subsystem and Fabry-Perot interferometer product lines serving similar aerospace/defense and atmospheric measurement customers.
• Vaisala: Vaisala is a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurement, including atmospheric and wind LIDAR products through its acquisition of Leosphere and ZephIR Lidar. Directly comparable to MAC's HALAS, MWACS, and UV-Lite atmospheric and wind measurement product families serving airports, wind energy, and research customers.
• Teledyne FLIR: Teledyne FLIR (Teledyne Technologies) develops LIDAR, thermal imaging, and atmospheric sensing systems for defense, industrial, and research applications. Directly comparable to MAC's LIDAR and optical sensing product lines for similar government and commercial aerospace customers.

Broad incumbents

• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris Technologies is a major defense electronics prime offering atmospheric and space-qualified sensors, LIDAR systems, and weather/radar products. Broadly comparable to MAC's portfolio as a larger incumbent across many of the same DoD, NASA, and NOAA atmospheric sensing program areas, though typically at much larger system scale.
• Lockheed Martin (Coherent Technologies): Lockheed Martin's Coherent Technologies business and broader Rotary and Mission Systems division develop airborne and ground-based LIDAR and atmospheric sensing systems for DoD and research customers. Broadly comparable as a much larger incumbent competing for similar Air Force, Navy, and NASA atmospheric LIDAR programs where MAC performs as a sub or prime.
• Raytheon (RTX): RTX (Raytheon) develops advanced sensor systems, including LIDAR and electro-optical systems for defense and space customers. Broadly comparable as a Tier-1 prime that competes for and primes many of the same atmospheric and defense sensing programs MAC pursues as a small business SBIR performer.
• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman designs and manufactures space-based sensors, atmospheric measurement instruments, and defense electro-optical systems including LIDAR payloads. Broadly comparable as a major prime competing for NASA Earth science and DoD atmospheric sensing program dollars that MAC accesses via SBIR and subcontracts.

Emerging players

• Science and Technology Corporation (STC): Science and Technology Corporation is an SBIR-focused small business performing atmospheric research, remote sensing, and LIDAR development for NASA, DoD, and NOAA. Comparable to MAC as a similarly sized, SBIR-dependent competitor pursuing many of the same atmospheric and space-weather sensing programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/210301

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Michigan Aerospace Corporation