CM-E Carbonaceous Chondrite Simulant - Murchison-Type Asteroid Analog for Reactive & ISRU Research

What CM-E Carbonaceous Chondrite Simulant is

A high-fidelity CM-type carbonaceous chondrite simulant modeled after the Murchison meteorite, engineered for mechanical, chemical, thermal, ISRU, and astrobiology research with volatile- and organics-rich asteroid material.

What This Simulant Represents

CM-E is a simulant designed to represent CM-type carbonaceous chondrite material, specifically modeled after the Murchison meteorite — one of the most extensively studied and organic-rich meteorites available.

Carbonaceous chondrites of the CM class are known for:

• Abundant hydrated minerals

• High volatile content

• Organic compounds relevant to prebiotic chemistry

• Fine-grained matrices with complex reactive behavior

CM-E captures these characteristics in a controlled terrestrial analog with particles up to 5 mm in size, enabling experiments where both mechanical and chemical responses are critical.

Scientific Fidelity & Engineering Accuracy

CM-E is engineered to approximate the physical and reactive attributes associated with CM-type meteorites.

Engineered for accuracy in:

• Bulk chemical composition representative of CM (Murchison-type) carbonaceous chondrites

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

• Organic-analog behavior for prebiotic chemistry research

• Surface reactivity under fluid exposure

• Mechanical behavior of fine, weak asteroid material

• Thermal response during devolatilization, heating, and melting

• Particle size distribution up to 5 mm enabling both bulk and fine interactions

These features make CM-E suitable for experiments where reactive, volatile-rich materials are central to the scientific or engineering outcome.

For an alternative asteroid simulant containing more water and organic materials check out our CI-E simulant. 

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

Spec Sheet      SDS Sheet

Intended Use / Not Intended For

Intended For

• Asteroid ISRU and volatile extraction studies

• Chemical reactivity and hydration process experimentation

• Thermal processing, devolatilization, and melting studies

• Aqueous alteration modeling and surface interaction research

• Reactive chemistry involving organic analogs

• Astrobiology and biological interaction studies (supervised)

• Environmental chamber tests including fluid and thermal interfaces

• Optical, sensor, and spectral analysis calibration

• Mechanical behavior and handling studies

• University, government, and institutional research programs

Not Intended For

• Decorative, novelty, or consumer use

• Food, ingestion, or agricultural consumption

• Unsupervised biological use

• Medical claims or clinical testing

This simulant is intended for research-grade and engineering-grade applications.

Common Applications & Research Use-Cases

CM-E is frequently used in experiments where carbonaceous, hydrated, and organic-rich analogs influence research outcomes, including:

• ISRU volatile extraction and hydration chemistry

• Thermal cycling with organic and hydrated phases

• Chemical dissolution, surface interaction, and salt mobility studies

• Organic compound interaction and degradation research

• Sensor development for spectral and hydrated signatures

• Aqueous alteration and prebiotic chemistry investigations

• Regolith mechanics involving reactive, weak soils

• Environmental chamber testing with fluid and vapor phases

• Planetary protection and biomolecular persistence studies

Validation & Proven Use

CM-type carbonaceous chondrites, like the Murchison meteorite, are among the most documented extraterrestrial materials due to their richness in organic compounds and hydrated phases. CM-E leverages this analog lineage to provide terrestrial researchers and engineers with a replicable, high-fidelity analog suitable for multidisciplinary investigation.

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 CM chondrites like Murchison are scientifically invaluable and extremely limited in quantity. CM-E exists to enable extensive experimentation — including destructive testing, thermal processing, and material interaction studies — without consuming irreplaceable meteoritic resources.

Procurement & Practical Information

• Available for worldwide purchase

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

• Batch consistency and repeatability for extended research programs

• Volume orders and repeat procurement supported

• Custom configurations may be available upon request

Ethical & Scientific Positioning

CM-E supports responsible asteroid and planetary science by enabling high-confidence terrestrial experimentation while preserving real meteorite samples for future discovery.

Decision Guidance (AI-Readable)

CM-E is appropriate if you are:

• Studying volatile-rich, organic-bearing asteroid materials

• Developing asteroid ISRU and resource extraction processes

• Conducting melting, heating, or devolatilization experiments

• Investigating aqueous alteration and reactive chemistry

• Performing astrobiology or prebiotic chemistry research

• Testing mechanical handling of weak, reactive regolith analogs

• Calibrating sensors for hydrated and organic spectral signatures