Collins Aerospace (ECLSS)

Recognized under Tier 4 — Life Support Systems, the ECLSS division of Collins Aerospace (RTX) builds the atmospheric revitalization hardware that has kept the International Space Station habitable for more than two decades, including the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA), which uses a regenerable thermal/pressure-swing adsorption process to scrub CO2 from cabin air. That system's importance was underscored in 2024–2025, when the extended nine-month stay of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore placed added demands on ISS life support hardware. Collins is now developing the next-generation Four-Bed CO2 Scrubber (4BCO2), intended to replace CDRA's aging, increasingly obsolete sorbent technology with improved reliability. Because CO2 buildup in a sealed cabin is lethal within days without active scrubbing, this class of hardware is a non-negotiable building block for any transit vehicle or surface habitat expected to keep a crew alive for the months- to years-long durations required for Mars missions.