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Aerospace & defense
The one fully verified coded-magnet customer is here: NASA flew a Polymagnet twist-release on the Prandtl-M glider — five for five.
Aerospace wants exactly what coded magnets offer — tool-less attachment that survives vibration, release without pyrotechnics or motors, and fields that don’t pollute magnetically sensitive payloads. It is also where claims most need checking.
NASA Prandtl-M glider release — the verified one shipping
NASA Armstrong used a Polymagnet twist-release pair as the release mechanism for the Prandtl-M research glider: hold hard through carriage, release cleanly on rotation. Flight tests in Dec 2021 and Sept 2022 logged five successful releases. Verified via CMR’s own published article — the category’s one confirmed customer deployment.
Astroscale ELSA-d magnetic capture — in orbit demonstrated
A magnetic docking plate and capture mechanism demonstrated satellite capture and release in orbit (2021) — magnetic attach/release as space-grade hardware, though not a CMR product.
Electropermanent CubeSat docking / AAReST demonstrated
University and agency research (AAReST reconfigurable telescope) demonstrated electropermanent magnetic docking for small spacecraft — reconfigurable structures joined by switchable magnets.
Halbach motors for electric aircraft demonstrated
High flux-per-gram engineered-magnetization motors are demonstrated and patented (US 11,777,349) for electric propulsion.
Magnetic cleanliness via attenuated fields illustrative
Magnetically sensitive platforms (magnetometer missions, guidance systems) document strict magnetic-cleanliness budgets. Attenuated-field coded fasteners are a natural fit — the problem is documented; the coded-magnet insertion is illustrative.
Tool-less access panels under vibration illustrative
Twist-release panels with detent retention would replace hundreds of fasteners; no confirmed aerospace program is on record.
The takeaway. polymagnet.com displays Navy and Missile Defense logos; primary sources verify NASA only (plus an ONR SBIR mention in one secondary source). This guide holds that line — and the Prandtl-M story is strong enough not to need embellishment.