A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches into the night sky from Kennedy Space Center, leaving a bright trail of flames and smoke against the dark backdrop. A water tower with the SpaceX logo stands illuminated to the right of the launch pad.

H3D detectors arrive at the International Space Station

U-M alumni-led project brings gamma-ray imaging tech to orbit for space science and hardware qualification.

By:

Sara Norman

Radiation detectors developed by Ann Arbor-based startup H3D, Inc.—founded by University of Michigan researchers—were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) early Monday morning as part of NASA’s latest resupply mission. The payload was carried aboard SpaceX’s 32nd cargo delivery flight to the ISS, which lifted off April 21 at 4:15am EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The capsule successfully arrived at the ISS the following morning, docking with the station at 8:40am EDT on April 22.

The detectors are part of the “cadmium zinc tellurium radiation imager” (TERI) mission led by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The mission aims to test and qualify the cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based detectors for future orbital use, while also generating data to support the development of new gamma-ray imaging algorithms for space-based research.

H3D’s contribution to the mission includes ruggedized gamma-ray sensors capable of enduring the demands of launch and long-term operation in space. Once installed on the ISS, the detectors will measure the energy of incoming gamma rays and pinpoint their interaction locations within the sensor. These measurements will help researchers evaluate the performance of the imaging system, image gamma-ray bursts, and study supernovae.

The principal investigator of the TERI mission is Daniel Shy, a University of Michigan Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) alumnus and a former member of Professor Zhong He’s research group. Now a fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory, Shy is overseeing the integration of H3D’s technology into the broader mission objectives.

H3D, founded by researchers from U-M’s NERS department, has continued to draw talent from the university, with 21 of its current engineers connected to Michigan Engineering. The company’s work on the TERI mission demonstrates how university-rooted innovation is expanding into new frontiers, including low Earth orbit.

As the detectors begin their operation aboard the ISS, they will play a critical role in advancing gamma-ray imaging capabilities and in qualifying CZT-based technologies for future space science applications.

Photo credit: NASA

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