Teledyne detectors launched on NASA’s BlackCAT
Image courtesy Teledyne
The mission launched on 11th January 2026, aboard SpaceX’s 'Twilight' rideshare mission. The BlackCAT mission, led by the Pennsylvania State University and designed as an x-ray observatory within a CubeSat platform, will detect x-ray transient events, study bursts of x-rays from the collapse of early stars into black holes and study the early universe using the sensitivity of Teledyne’s imager.
The Speedster focal plane array, at the heart of the mission’s instrument and assembled in 2x2 mosaic, is integral to BlackCAT’s capability to observe some of the universe’s most energetic phenomena. Featuring a Si-PIN hybrid CMOS architecture, this detector is a leading X-ray detection technology for space application.
Its highly efficient Si-PIN array ensures exceptional sensitivity to soft X-ray photons, while its Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) functionality offers advantages such as the novel event-driven fast readout, low power consumption and radiation-hard performance.
“X-ray detection is the natural extension of Teledyne’s HyViSI technology applications,” commented by Dr Yibin Bai, Director of FPA Development. “With its highly adaptable CMOS features and advanced absorber design, the Speedster HyViSI establishes itself as a high-performance alternative to other sensors for x-ray astronomy in space.”
