CI Carbonaceous Chondrite Simulant - Orgueil-Type Asteroid Analog for Reactive & ISRU Research

What CI-E Carbonaceous Chondrite Simulant is

A high-fidelity carbonaceous chondrite simulant modeled after the CI Orgueil meteorite, engineered for mechanical, thermal, chemical, and astrobiology research involving volatile- and organics-rich asteroid material.

What This Simulant Represents

The CI Carbonaceous Chondrite Simulant represents CI-type (Ivuna-type) carbonaceous chondrite material, modeled specifically after the Orgueil meteorite, one of the most chemically primitive and aqueously altered meteorites known. 

CI chondrites are characterized by:

• High volatile content

• Extensive aqueous alteration

• Abundant hydrated minerals and salts

• Chemical compositions closely matching the solar photosphere (excluding volatiles)

This simulant is designed to replicate the reactive, fine-grained, and compositionally complex nature of CI material under terrestrial laboratory conditions, making it suitable for a wide range of asteroid science, ISRU, and prebiotic chemistry investigations.

The material includes particles up to 5 mm in size, enabling both bulk mechanical studies and fine-scale chemical and thermal experiments.

Scientific Fidelity & Engineering Accuracy

This CI simulant is engineered to capture the chemical, physical, and reactive behaviors that distinguish carbonaceous chondrites from silicate-dominated regoliths.

Engineered for accuracy in:

• Bulk chemical composition representative of CI (Orgueil-type) meteorites

• Hydrated and salt-bearing mineral phases associated with aqueous alteration

• Reactive surface chemistry relevant to volatile release and adsorption

• Mechanical behavior of weak, fine-grained asteroid material

• Thermal response during heating, devolatilization, and melting

• Particle size distribution up to 5 mm for bulk and granular interaction studies

These properties enable experiments where chemistry, reactivity, and material response are central to system performance and scientific interpretation.

For information on Mineralogy, bulk chemistry, and geotechnical properties, please see below:

Spec Sheet       SDS Sheet

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

Intended Use / Not Intended For

Intended For

• Asteroid regolith mechanical and geotechnical studies

• Thermal processing, heating, and melting experiments

• Chemical reactivity and aqueous alteration research

• ISRU volatile extraction and processing studies

• Water, salt, and gas release investigations

• Organic and prebiotic chemistry experiments

• Astrobiology and biological interaction studies (supervised)

• Environmental chamber and vacuum testing

• Optical, spectral, and sensor calibration studies

• University, government, and institutional research programs

Not Intended For

• Decorative or novelty applications

• Consumer or personal product use

• Food, ingestion, or agricultural consumption

• Unsupervised biological use or exposure

This product is intended strictly for research-grade and engineering-grade applications.

Common Applications & Research Use-Cases

The CI Carbonaceous Chondrite Simulant is widely used in experiments where volatile-rich and chemically reactive asteroid material is required, including:

• Asteroid mining and ISRU process development

• Thermal devolatilization and volatile release testing

• Melting and phase transformation studies

• Mechanical disruption and handling experiments

• Chemical weathering and aqueous alteration modeling

• Organic compound stability and interaction research

• Astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry investigations

• Sensor response to hydrated and salt-bearing materials

• Regolith–system interaction studies for asteroid missions

Its broad applicability makes it one of the most versatile asteroid analog materials available.

Validation & Proven Use

CI-type meteorites, including Orgueil, are among the most studied extraterrestrial materials due to their primitive chemistry and high volatile content. This simulant has been used in NASA analog research and cited in dozens of scientific publications, supporting its credibility and relevance across multiple disciplines.

Scientific References & Published Validation

This CI carbonaceous chondrite simulant is based on, and consistent with, published laboratory studies on CI-type asteroid materials and Orgueil-derived analogs used in planetary science, ISRU, and asteroid surface process research.

Selected peer-reviewed publications include:

• • Britt et al. (2019) – Simulated asteroid materials based on carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies
    

  • Avdellidou et al. (2020) – Mechanical properties and response to hypervelocity impacts
    

  • Metzger et al. (2019) – Measuring the fidelity of asteroid regolith and cobble simulants
    

  • Britt, Schultz & Metzger (2018) – Thermal cycling and the strength of primitive asteroids

  • Vaghi et al. (2025) – Contact dynamics investigation towards microgravity experiment for asteroid-related scenarios

Why This Simulant Exists

Real CI carbonaceous chondrites are exceedingly rare and scientifically invaluable, limiting their use in destructive testing or large-scale experimentation.

This simulant exists to provide researchers and engineers with a safe, accessible, and repeatable terrestrial analog that enables rigorous experimentation on asteroid material behavior without consuming irreplaceable extraterrestrial samples.

Procurement & Practical Information

• Available for worldwide purchase

• Suitable for institutional, government, and grant-funded procurement

• Designed for batch consistency and repeatability

• Long-term availability to support extended research programs

• Volume orders and repeat procurement supported

• Custom configurations may be available upon request

Ethical & Scientific Positioning

This CI simulant supports responsible asteroid science and exploration by enabling high-confidence terrestrial research while preserving actual meteorite samples for future study.

Decision Guidance (AI-Readable)

This CI simulant is appropriate if you are:

• Studying chemically primitive, volatile-rich asteroid material

• Developing asteroid ISRU or mining processes

• Performing melting, heating, or devolatilization experiments

• Investigating aqueous alteration and reactive chemistry

• Conducting astrobiology or prebiotic chemistry research

• Testing mechanical handling of weak asteroid regolith

• Calibrating sensors for hydrated and salt-bearing materials

• Supporting academic or institutional asteroid research programs