MultipoleThe Coded Magnet Review
Applications · Aerospace & defense

The one verified customer is NASA.

A Polymagnet twist-release flew on NASA Armstrong’s Prandtl-M glider release — five successful releases across 2021–22 test campaigns. It is the single deployment of a correlation-coded magnet we can independently verify, and it is a good one: release mechanisms are aerospace’s hard problem.

Aerospace wants exactly what coded magnets sell — no-moving-part mechanisms, no lubricants, no pyrotechnics, function that survives vibration — and it is also the industry most allergic to unproven parts. That tension defines this dossier. One honest note up front: polymagnet.com displays NASA, Tesla, Home Depot, US Navy and Missile Defense logos; only NASA is verified, and we treat the rest as unconfirmed marketing.

EVIDENCE TAGS:shipping — confirmed in productsdemonstrated — trials/demosillustrative — plausible, not confirmed

NASA Prandtl-M: the twist-release that flew

demonstrated · flight

NASA Armstrong’s Prandtl-M — a Mars-airplane precursor glider — needed a release that held firmly through carriage and let go cleanly on command. A Polymagnet twist-release did it: tests in December 2021 and September 2022, five successful releases. Attach hard, twist, and the same faces eject the payload.

Why coded · The twist-release curve — 49 N hold to 57 N push-off in 20° — is a pyro-free, spring-free separation mechanism in one passive part.

Astroscale ELSA-d: magnetic capture in space

demonstrated · orbit

Astroscale’s ELSA-d mission repeatedly captured and released a client satellite in orbit using a magnetic docking plate — the debris-servicing use case rehearsed for real. Magnetic capture tolerates approach error in a way mechanical latches cannot.

Electropermanent CubeSat docking & AAReST

demonstrated · research

University and agency programs (including the AAReST reconfigurable-telescope concept) have demonstrated electropermanent magnetic docking for small spacecraft — hold with no power, release on a pulse, self-align on approach.

Halbach machines for electric flight

demonstrated / patented

Halbach-array motor topologies for electric aircraft are an active patent and demonstrator space (e.g. USPTO 11,777,349) — the flux-focusing end of engineered magnetization chasing power density.

Magnetic cleanliness

illustrative

Magnetically sensitive spacecraft budgets every stray dipole on board — a documented, expensive discipline. A fastener whose field is near zero millimetres away is an obvious candidate; actual coded-magnet insertion into a magnetics-budgeted platform is not confirmed.

Tool-less panel attach under vibration

illustrative

Access panels that align, latch and twist free without fasteners or FOD-risk hardware. Maps directly onto shipping catalog functions; no confirmed aerospace adoption.

Behaviors at work here: Twist-release · Contain field · Align — open each in the explorer for mechanism and numbers.
Specifying for Aerospace & defense

How buyers evaluate a coded magnet here

Aerospace buys mechanisms, not magnets. A coded pair earns a place on the drawing only when it deletes a spring, a pyrotechnic, or a lubricated joint and survives qualification. Here is what to verify first.

Separation vs. hold margin

The twist-release curve (part 1002300: 49 N hold → 57 N push-off over 20°) is your separation budget — check hold margin under launch vibration and push-off energy against your ejection requirement. See twist-release and the spec table.

Temperature & material

Standard parts are rated ~60 °C. Specify SmCo or high-temp NdFeB substrates for hot structures, and confirm the demagnetization curve at your worst-case temperature before committing.

Magnetic cleanliness

Magnetically sensitive payloads budget every stray dipole. Contained-field coded parts read near-zero millimetres away — a candidate where ordinary magnets are banned. Ask for the field map, not just the pull number.

Qualification & single source

CMR is currently the sole source for correlation-coded parts. Put outgassing, vibration and thermal-vac qualification — plus the supply risk — in your risk register early.

Aerospace & defense · FAQ

Questions engineers ask

Has a coded magnet actually flown in aerospace?

Yes, once that we can independently verify: a Polymagnet twist-release flew on NASA Armstrong's Prandtl-M glider release, with five successful releases across 2021–22 test campaigns. Other logos on vendor material are unconfirmed.

Do coded magnets outgas in vacuum?

Outgassing is a coating-and-adhesive question, not a coding one — the substrate is plated NdFeB or SmCo like any space magnet. Request the plating and any bonding-agent spec for your bake-out and thermal-vac plan.

Can they replace pyrotechnic separation?

For small payloads a twist- or slide-release gives a reusable, debris-free, spring-free separation in one passive part. It is demonstrated at glider scale — not qualified for large launch-vehicle separation.

More in the full FAQ and spec reference.

Request · Aerospace & defense

Get the datasheet, a free sample, or an RFQ

We are an independent guide — we do not sell magnets. Tell us the aerospace or defense problem you are solving and we will point you to the exact Polymagnet part or CMR's engineering team, and send the behavior datasheet you need. No spam; your note reaches a human.

Independent · no sales calls · we route you to polymagnet.com / CMR.

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