Needronix's CubeSat and SmallSat sun sensors were featured in NASA State-of-the-Art of Small Spacecraft Technology Report 2024

Needronix featured in NASA State-of-the-Art of Small Spacecraft Technology Report 2024

Ariane 6 launching with CubeSat GRBBeta on board.

NXSS3v10 Eagle, one of the world's smallest and most precise CubeSat sun sensors, is now also used on GRBBeta.

The CubeSat GRBBeta has embarked on its mission aboard the inaugural flight of the Ariane 6 rocket, continuing the pioneering work of its predecessor, GRBAlpha. Known for being the first CubeSat to detect a gamma-ray burst, GRBAlpha used our state-of-the-art miniature CubeSat sun sensor, the NXSS3v10 Eagle, for its mission.

With Eagle, GRBBeta benefits from our miniature and reliable CubeSat components, enabling efficient space utilization and faster mission readiness.

The Ariane 6 rocket, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and manufactured by ArianeGroup, represents the next generation of European launch vehicles. Designed to replace the highly successful Ariane 5, Ariane 6 aims to provide more cost-effective and versatile launch capabilities to meet the evolving demands of the global space market. 

Ariane 6's maiden flight marks a significant milestone in European space history. The rocket launched from the Guiana Space Centre, also known as Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), located in Kourou, French Guiana. This equatorial launch site is renowned for its strategic location, providing an optimal trajectory for a wide range of orbital missions due to the Earth's rotational velocity being greatest at the equator.

GRBBeta launched on Ariane 6's maiden flight

Adlerka Space Program of SPŠE Karola Adlera with Needronix founder and CTO Robert Lászlo

We are proud to have pioneered the introduction of the CanSat competition in Slovakia! We leveraged our expertise and experience to mentor participants at the schools SPŠE Zochova and SPŠE Karola Adlera in Bratislava, contributing to the acceleration of the space industry in Slovakia. It was a fantastic opportunity to support emerging talents and drive innovation in aerospace.

Huge congratulations to the Adlerka Space Program of SPŠE Karola Adlera, mentored by our founder and CTO Robert Laszlo, for winning the historically first CanSat competition in Slovakia. Their dedication and teamwork were truly remarkable.

We would like to thank the Slovak Space Office for organizing this incredible opportunity to promote education in the field of space science.

At Needronix, we are committed to supporting education in Slovakia and attracting talents into the space industry, especially through activities like CanSat.

The CanSats in Europe initiative, led by the European Space Agency (ESA), works in collaboration with local organizations to enhance support for CanSat activities across the continent. A CanSat is a simulation of a real satellite designed to fit within the dimensions of a soft drink can. The challenge for students is to incorporate all essential satellite subsystems—such as power, sensors, and communication—into this compact space. Once assembled, the CanSat is launched to an altitude of a few hundred meters, either by rocket, dropped from a balloon or in Slovakia’s case dropped from a drone (UAV). The mission then begins: to conduct a scientific experiment and ensure a safe landing.

The team mentored by Needronix wins Slovakia's first CanSat competition

Render of miniature dual-axis fine sun sensor NXSS3v50 Eagle Plus

In the fast-evolving world of aerospace technology, we are proud to present our latest innovation – the NXSS3v50 Eagle Plus sun sensor. Packed with new sought after features while providing high precision, ease of use, and integration efficiency.

### High Precision
Eagle Plus boasts a remarkable angular noise of &lt;0.0015° at 1𝜎.  This level of precision ensures reliable and accurate measurements of the Sun's position, which are critical for accurate satellite orientation.  The high precision offered by the Eagle Plus may render a star tracker unnecessary for your mission, presenting a unique opportunity to simplify your satellite system. 

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![Chart showing the measurement of the movement of the sun across the sky](https://res.cloudinary.com/dxzrscwil/image/upload/v1706149156/Eagle_Plus_Chart2_5d77fa4b38.png)

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In a practical showcase of its precision, we conducted a post-integration experiment. 
We measured the sun's movement across the sky in Earth's dense atmosphere overcoming the challenges presented by autumn conditions.
The Eagle Plus has demonstrated its ability to provide precise measurements even in difficult optical conditions.

The chart above illustrates the absolute values of the angle on the sensor's Alpha axis (Y-axis of the graph). Each data point on the graph represents one-second intervals (X-axis), providing an unaltered depiction of measurements directly transmitted by the sun sensor. This experiment aligns with the Eagle Plus's commitment to precision and reliability, highlighting its exceptional performance even in complex atmospheric scenarios.

### Compact Size, Lightweight Build
Measuring a mere 29.5 x 11.5 x 6.5 mm and weighing just 5 grams, Eagle Plus is a testament to miniaturization without compromise. Its small size, coupled with a minimal space requirement on the satellite surface, allows for efficient placement of solar panels, optimizing space usage and enhancing satellite performance.


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![Eagle Plus (left) and Eagle (right) mounted inside of a demo CubeSat](https://res.cloudinary.com/dxzrscwil/image/upload/v1714655074/IMG_1601_0_7x_2df8486a05.webp)
<figcaption>Eagle Plus (left) and Eagle (right) mounted inside of a demo CubeSat</figcaption>

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### Efficient Power Consumption
Operate with confidence within strict power budget constraints as the Eagle Plus draws less than 4 mA at 3.3 V. 

### Cubesat Space Protocol (CSP)
Eagle Plus offers seamless integration through the widely adopted and reliable CSP over RS485. Operating at 115200 Bd, this proven communication protocol ensures robust and efficient data transfer within satellite systems. Fully configurable in orbit through NMP and CMP protocols, it seamlessly integrates into your satellite systems, offering flexibility and adaptability. Even if you are not using the CSP on any other devices on the bus, it only takes 1 command using a request-response method to retrieve the data.

### Sample, Hold & Read Functionality
The SHR (Sample, Hold & Read) feature enables instant sun position "snapshots" from all utilized Eagle Pluses in one command. This innovative function facilitates efficient data retrieval, enhancing the sensor's overall utility and versatility.

### Fast Update Rate
Beyond its exceptional precision, the Eagle Plus impresses with its rapid data acquisition speed of 166 measurements per second. This ensures responsiveness, allowing for quick and timely adjustments based on the real-time dynamics of the sun's position.

### Comprehensive Health Monitoring
Eagle Plus provides health statistic data, interface status data, uptime counters, temperature, power bus voltage and more. Its radiation-tolerant design (>20 krad) and bit-flip resistant Ferroelectric RAM data buffer ensure reliability in space environments.

### User-Friendly Integration
Designed for hassle-free integration, Eagle Plus features an indication LED for visual monitoring of reception and transmission during integration with other devices. With an adjustable RX to TX delay, you can adjust to other devices' TX to RX recovery speeds, preventing packet loss or throughput degradation.

### Ease of Use with Factory Calibration
Eagle Plus takes simplicity to the next level, being easy to use straight out of the box. With factory calibration, it eliminates the need for complex setup procedures, ensuring a smooth and efficient integration process for your satellite systems.

### Fully Autonomous Operation
Experience continuous measurement without intervention. Eagle Plus operates autonomously, ensuring there is always up-to-date measurement data available. This approach enhances the efficiency of your satellite's attitude and orbit control system (AOCS).

Eagle Plus is a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of aerospace technology. With its high precision, compact design, seamless integration features, and user-friendly attributes, it stands out as a great option for your satellite’s AOCS.

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Introducing Eagle Plus: next-gen miniature fine sun sensor

The Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic has announced that the AMBIC and QUVIK projects, led by our partner VZLU, have been chosen as “the ambitious Czech projects”. We are proud to be part of both of these projects. QUVIK and AMBIC both represent 100 kg satellites with a cost of around 30 million EUR.

QUVIK is a near-UV space telescope, and its primary goal is to observe so-called kilonovae, which result from mergers of neutron stars.

AMBIC’s goal is to provide image data of the territory of the Czech Republic from space and thus ensure the independence of the Czech Republic from information from commercial satellites.

Needronix will be supplying sun sensors to both of these missions and working on communication subsystems.

These projects underscore the commitment of the Czech Republic to advancing space exploration and enhancing its information infrastructure. We look forward to the continued success of these projects.

AMBIC and QUVIK chosen as "the ambitious Czech projects"

Robert Lászlo presenting at ITAPA Defence 2023

Last week our CTO and Founder, Robert Lászlo, took the stage at ITAPA Defence 2023 held in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia to unveil our vision for sensor networks and satellite constellations. 

ITAPA Defence is a one-day conference focused on innovations in the defense industry, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic	.

ITAPA Defence 2023

Booth of Needronix at Paris Air Show 2023 showcasing spacecraft components

For the first time ever, Slovakia had a national booth at Paris Air Show and we were proud to be one of the three space companies selected to represent our nation on this event.

Our team had the opportunity to showcase our cutting-edge technologies, featuring miniature, state-of-the-art cubesat components including sun sensors, earth sensors, and transceivers.

Thanks to Slovak Space Office and Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency for organising this.

First Slovak national booth at Paris Air Show 2023

Last week, Needronix was represented by Patrik Laszlo and Robert Laszlo at Emerging Space 2023 in Bratislava.

Patrik delivered a presentation outlining our company identity, detailing our key product offerings, and sharing insights from our experiences in the space industry.

Additionally, Patrik also contributed to a panel discussion on 'Emerging Space Education', a critical issue for the future growth of the space industry. Patrik emphasized the skills and knowledge that the current generation of aerospace graduates must have to align with the evolving needs of the Slovak space industry.

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![Patrik Lászlo as a part of panel discussion at Emerging Space 2023 on the topic of Emerging Space Education](https://res.cloudinary.com/dxzrscwil/image/upload/v1701536774/52944120477_06300b9bda_o_f40fe75318.jpg)
<figcaption>Source: Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency</figcaption>

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It's clear that the future of our industry depends on the capabilities of our youth, and that's why we at Needronix are committed to supporting the next generation. We're in the early stages of a promising partnership with the Slovak University of Technology to bolster education in Slovakia and give our students the best chance of success.

As we continue to build on this momentum, we hope to share more about our plans and progress in the future.

Emerging Space 2023

The 1U CubeSat GRBAlpha, on which we collaborated, **made history by capturing the massive gamma-ray burst GRB221009A** and providing insights into its characteristics.

The idea of using CubeSats for the purpose of studying gamma-ray bursts was developed by Norbert Werner, an astrophysicist, in collaboration with astronomer András Pál.

Norbert Werner approached two Slovak aerospace companies, Needronix and Spacemanic, to build a nanosatellite for their gamma detector.

**Needronix was a key developer, designer and integrator of the GRBAlpha satellite**. We also developed the NXTRX4 Cormorant transceiver and the NXSS3 Eagle fine sun sensors for this mission. We also handled all communications with the GRBAlpha satellite for the first month after launch, using our own ground station.

GRBAlpha made history - First CubeSat to detect gamma ray burst

Brothers Patrik Lászlo and Marek Lászlo at Web Summit 2021

At Web Summit 2021, Needronix CZ, as an ALPHA startup, showcased its space technologies amidst a diverse tech landscape. Being among the limited space companies present, we used the platform to spotlight our innovations. Despite the scarcity of industry leaders in our niche, we connected with fellow startups and enthusiasts and making the most of the interactive workshops.

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