MiniPIX TPX3 SPACE radiation monitor¶
IM-2 · landed · commercial payload
A miniature, low-power radiation camera built around the Timepix3 pixel chip (256 x 256 pixels, 55 micrometers), which records the track, energy and arrival time of each charged particle. On IM-2 it was mounted on the lander to measure the radiation field on the Moon, for crew and equipment protection. It was the first Czech payload sent to the lunar surface.
PI: not in public sources
Built by: ADVACAM (Prague, Czech Republic); space products now sold through its sister company AdvaSpace (company)
| Technology | radiation monitor (particle-tracking pixel detector, commercial instrument) |
| Moon Base need | DN-012 L, #0307 (The study's reading. DN-012 L asks for long-term radiation measurements on the South Pole surface, including particle types that drive crew risk, which a particle-tracking detector can separate; #0307 asks for radiation monitoring. No NASA source links this payload to a gap.) |
| Route onto CLPS | commercial; A non-NASA payload on Intuitive Machines' lander; who bought the ride is not in public sources. In 2021 an ADVACAM MiniPIX was booked on IM-1 as part of Louisiana State University's Tiger Eye 1 experiment (with Geocent), but it is not among IM-1's flown payloads, and no source says the IM-2 unit is that experiment. |
| Timeline | first funding not in public sources (Czech Rademet grant); first flight test before 2021 (MiniPIX on the ISS; date not given); selected not in public sources; launch 2025-02-26; landing 2025-03-06 |
| On the Moon | not in public sources |
| FO | none |
Flights before the Moon¶
- ISS or MISSE: International Space Station and several satellites (ADVACAM MiniPIX cameras; missions and dates not named here), before 2021. The MiniPIX product family in orbit. Which units, where and when are not given in the sources saved here; ADVACAM lists them on its space-heritage page, which was not read.
"Our MiniPIX cameras have already been successfully employed onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and several satellites"
— MiniPIX SPACE: Compact, durable, space-ready radiation camera with advanced Timepix3-based partic…"that it has previously supplied for the International"
— LSU Goes to the Moon, LSU, May 2021
- ISS or MISSE: International Space Station, Radiation Environment Monitor (REM) network, 2012. The first Timepix-based MiniPIX units (built by IEAP Prague, from which ADVACAM spun out) plugged into station laptops: the ancestor of the MiniPIX line.
"In 2012 the first set of 5 REM detectors (IEAP Minipix) flew to ISS"
— NTRS 20230008902, page 19
- ISS or MISSE: International Space Station, REM2 network, 2019. ADVACAM MiniPIX detectors (Timepix, 500 um silicon) installed as the station's operational REM2 radiation monitors: a predecessor generation.
"REM2 - New network of Advacam Minipix, 500um Si Timepix installed in 2019"
— NTRS 20230008902, page 22"several MiniPIX detectors integrated into the Radiation Environment Monitor 2 (REM2) system in 2019"
— advaspace.com: space-heritage, ISS entry, 'Missions flown'
- Earth orbit or deep space: VZLUSAT-2 CubeSat (Falcon 9 Transporter-3), 2022-01. A MiniPIX TPX (Timepix) detector in a CubeSat; AdvaSpace lists it under MiniPIX SPACE heritage.
"ADVACAM contributed its hybrid pixel detector MiniPIX TPX Standard to support in-orbit radiation measurements"
— advaspace.com: space-heritage, VZLUSAT-2 entry, 2022"Launched aboard Falcon 9 during the Transporter-3 mission, VZLUSAT-2"
— advaspace.com: space-heritage, VZLUSAT-2 entry
- ISS or MISSE: International Space Station, ICE Cubes facility (Space Applications Services), 2022. A MiniPIX TPX3, the same Timepix3-based camera family as the IM-2 unit, in a commercial ISS experiment slot.
"ADVACAM’s compact MiniPIX TPX3 radiation detector, based on the Timepix3 chip developed at CERN, was deployed aboard the International Space Station as part of the ICE Cubes program"
— advaspace.com: space-heritage, ICE CUBES entry, 2022
- Earth orbit or deep space: OneWeb JoeySat (ESA Sunrise programme), 2023. A MiniPIX SPACE radiation camera on a telecommunications demonstration satellite, the product name used for the IM-2 unit.
"ADVACAM’s high-resolution radiation monitoring payload was deployed to demonstrate real-time detection, classification, and tracking of cosmic radiation in orbit"
— advaspace.com: space-heritage, JoeySat entry, 2023, detector 'MiniPIX SPACE'
Heritage hardware¶
- commercial instrument: A space version of ADVACAM's commercial MiniPIX TPX3 camera, built on the Timepix chips of the CERN-coordinated Medipix collaborations, with the Czech Technical University's Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics; adapted for space with ESA. ADVACAM reports vibration, thermal and humidity tests.
"It builds on more than two decades of development of the sophisticated Medipix and Timepix family of chips."
— ADVACAM will help NASA increase the safety of astronauts of the first crewed flight to the Moon s…"It has passed stringent environmental testing, including a humidity test, a tri-axial vibration test, and a thermal ambience test"
— MiniPIX SPACE: Compact, durable, space-ready radiation camera with advanced Timepix3-based partic…
Funding before the lunar flight¶
- Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade grant (Rademet project) for the detector's development. Amount not in public sources; no US development award found (USAspending lists only small NASA and other purchases of ADVACAM products). (Czech national grant (Ministry of Industry and Trade); not in public sources): amount not in public sources
"The development of the detector was supported by a grant from the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade within the Rademet project."
— ADVACAM will help NASA increase the safety of astronauts of the first crewed flight to the Moon s…
How it got onto CLPS¶
"The Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar landing module, which will carry the ADVACAM detector, will be launched from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the first quarter of 2022."
— ADVACAM will help NASA increase the safety of astronauts of the first crewed flight to the Moon s…, ADVACAM news, 2021"radiation detection device is now officially on the manifest for the broader IM-1"
— LSU Goes to the Moon, LSU, 4 May 2021
On the Moon¶
The monitor landed on Athena, which lay on its side and lost power within about 13 hours. No source reports what MiniPIX measured in transit or on the surface.
"NASA confirmed that lander operations ended at 1:15 a.m., less than 13 hours after landing"
— Wikipedia article "IM-2", revision 1371624151 of 2026-08-27T13:27:19Z
FO's role¶
Grade: none. No FO project, flight or report names ADVACAM, MiniPIX or Timepix. FO flew other radiation monitors (ARMAS on the same lander among them), but that is a topic match only.
"FO flew other radiation monitors (ARMAS among them), but that is a topic match only."
— earlier finding of this study (not a public source)
Who built it¶
"The MiniPIX TPX3 SPACE payload, provided by the Czech company [[ADVACAM]], was onboard the Nova-C lunar lander."
— Wikipedia article "IM-2", revision 1371624151 of 2026-08-27T13:27:19Z, revision 1371624151"MiniPIX TPX3 SPACE, designed by the Czech company ADVACAM to monitor the lunar radiation field, is a miniaturized, low-power radiation camera equipped with particle tracking and imaging detector Timepix3."
— Intuitive Machines Nova-C - eoPortal, eoPortal
Moon Base need¶
"Long-term radiation measurements at the South Pole surface"
— Moon to Mars knowledge base: DN-012 L: In situ lunar surface radiation environment measurements and space weather monitoring"This payload is designed to monitor the radiation field on the Moon and help understand how to protect crew and equipment from the negative effects of [[cosmic rays]]."
— Wikipedia article "IM-2", revision 1371624151 of 2026-08-27T13:27:19Z
Open questions¶
- Who flew MiniPIX on IM-2 (ADVACAM itself, LSU, Geocent or another customer), and is it the Tiger Eye 1 unit once booked on IM-1? Not in public sources.
- Did MiniPIX return data in transit or on the surface? Not in public sources.
- Which MiniPIX units flew on the ISS and satellites before, and when? ADVACAM's space-heritage page was not read here.
- NASA bought ADVACAM sensors in 2024 (USAspending 80NSSC24PA025); whether that relates to lunar work is not in public sources.