Downers Grove Device Wins Makers Madness Award As Coolest Thing Made In Illinois

DOWNERS GROVE – The NASA Standard Initiator made by Chemring Energetic Devices in Downers Grove has won the 2026 Makers Madness contest for The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association announced the winner on Wednesday from a field of more than 100 entries. The IMA said the NASA Standard Initiator is an electrically-activated pyrotechnic device that played a critical role in the recent launch of the Artemis II/Orion mission.