CosmicWatch v3X Muon Detector Adds Coincidence Trigger and CAN Bus for Oligo Space Satellite Flight

The prototype paper details a low-cost plastic scintillator read out by a silicon photomultiplier and dual-core Pico microcontroller. Firmware implements coincidence logic between two stacked detectors to reject noise, achieving sustained rates far above typical desktop muon counters. These performance numbers were verified on the bench before any space modifications. The design choices directly address the high single-event rates expected in low-Earth orbit where secondary muons and protons increase flux. Thermal and material upgrades target spacecraft integration constraints that ground-based versions ignore. The CAN bus addition allows the detector to report real-time count rates and health telemetry without custom wiring harnesses.

Cosmic-ray muon flux measurements can refine atmospheric ionization models used in climate simulations and improve now-casting of space-weather impacts on satellite electronics. Prior desktop versions of CosmicWatch have already been deployed in high-school networks; flying a calibrated unit on Oligo Space would extend that dataset into orbit for the first time. The paper does not report total ionizing dose testing or single-event upset rates for the Pico, leaving open whether commercial microcontrollers will survive the mission duration without additional shielding. Radiation-tolerant firmware redundancy or a backup microcontroller would strengthen the flight case.

Next steps include vibration and thermal-vacuum qualification of the flight enclosure plus ground calibration against a reference telescope. If successful, the same architecture could be replicated on CubeSat constellations to map latitude-dependent muon intensity at higher cadence than existing neutron monitors.