A milestone in Aviation
Cosmic Aerospace successfully completed the first flights of its all-electric demonstrator aircraft, the CX-2, at DronePort in Sint-Truiden. The CX-2, with a wingspan of around 4.5 meters, is a subscale version of the Skylark currently under development. This marks the first demonstration flight of its kind in Europe and represents a significant milestone for the aviation sector. With critical systems now validated, the vision of fully electric aviation is becoming increasingly tangible. The next step will be the production of a full-scale prototype, which will form the basis for certification of the final production model. In the meantime, the company will also build a hybrid aircraft, the Starling, announced today as a transitional step toward the fully electric Skylark.
Christopher Chahine, CEO of Cosmic Aerospace, commented:
“We are incredibly proud of these successful test flights, as the CX-2 represents a completely new type of aircraft. It features 32 integrated electric motors designed for efficiency, redundancy, and quiet operation. The composite frame, built entirely in-house, further demonstrates our start-up’s rapid development capabilities, with just four months between the initial design and the first flight.”
A brand-new form of mobility
This new aircraft concept opens the door to an entirely new form of mobility with the potential to create a market that does not yet exist: affordable, fast, and sustainable air travel from regional airports. These airports are often closer to passengers’ final destinations and more accessible than large national hubs, yet currently lack commercial flights due to emissions and noise restrictions. “To put this into perspective: Europe counts around 2,300 regional airports, while the US has more than 5,000,” said Marshall Gusman, CTO at Cosmic Aerospace.
DronePort as home base
Cosmic Aerospace’s decision to establish its base in Belgium, specifically at the DronePort business campus in Sint-Truiden, is equally noteworthy.
“We are increasingly recognized worldwide as a leading business park and test center for carbon-free and autonomous mobility, both on the ground and in the air,” said Ward Decaluwe, CEO of DronePort. “Several factors contribute to this. First, the technology is supported here by a strong ecosystem of companies, organizations, and universities specialized in AI, carbon-free mobility, data management, sustainable energy, and autonomous systems. All the expertise you need is concentrated in one place.”
DronePort also offers excellent infrastructure, including a runway of more than three kilometers and state-of-the-art testing facilities with segregated airspace. “On top of that, we still have 200,000 m² of available space that can be leased for business expansion. Companies can test extensively here and then scale their technology commercially without having to relocate.” Its central location in Europe is another asset, with Paris, London, Strasbourg, and Hamburg all within a 400-kilometer radius, as well as proximity to innovation hubs such as imec in Leuven and European institutions in Brussels.
“These advantages, combined with the presence of pioneering companies already based here, strengthen our ambition to grow into a regional, fully robotized, carbon-free airport for both manned and unmanned flights. Cosmic Aerospace is a vital piece of that puzzle,” Decaluwe concluded.
