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NOVA3

Unified Space Engineering

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About the firm

NOVA3 is an aerospace engineering practice formed by the merger of three established space hardware developers: Visioneering Space (precision mechanisms and optical systems), MAE Aerospace (structural analysis and qualification), and AMU Engineering (instrumentation design and spaceflight testing). It delivers structural, mechanical, optical, and electro-mechanical engineering services for NASA and commercial space missions, from concept through hardware qualification. Heritage programs include MSL/SAM, LADEE/NMS, MAVEN/NGIMS, and CODEX on the ISS.

Firm type
Aerospace Engineering · Mechanical Engineering · Structural Engineering · Thermal & Heat Transfer

People

Akif ErsahinPresident and Chief Structures Officer

Christa BudinoffChief Executive Officer

Jason BudinoffChief Technical Officer

Cynthia GundersenVice President and Chief Engineering Officer

Capabilities

Structural Analysis

Analytical evaluation of mechanical assemblies and spaceflight instruments to verify performance and load survival.

  • Finite Element Analysis using NASTRAN and FEMAP
  • Instrument and Opto-mechanical Assembly Analysis
  • Flight Qualification and Environmental Margin Verification

Structural and Mechanical Design

Conceptualization and detailed design of robust structures optimized for spaceflight environments.

  • Complex Spaceflight Structure Engineering
  • Multi-platform Mission Hardware Design
  • Flight-Heritage Aerospace Component Design

Optical System Engineering

End-to-end development of optical instruments, managing alignment, calibration, and environmental performance.

  • End-to-End Optical Concept and Calibration Engineering
  • Precision Alignment and Performance Verification
  • Contamination-Control-Compliant Integration

Mechanisms and Assemblies

Engineering of complex moving parts and high-precision components that deploy and actuate reliably in space.

  • Deployment and Actuation Mechanism Engineering
  • Qualification-Driven Test Program Planning
  • High-Precision Aerospace Assembly

Thermal Analysis

Predictive modeling to ensure components survive and operate within temperature limits across orbit profiles.

  • Thermal Stability and Survivability Prediction
  • Thermal Validation Under Mission-Specific Load Environments

Flight Fabrication Support and Integration

Integration and testing workflows that transform engineered designs into qualified, flight-ready hardware.

  • Systems Integration and Environmental Qualification Testing
  • Traceable Production Workflows for Heritage Programs

Instrumentation Design and Testing

Development and verification of sensitive scientific instruments engineered to survive rigorous space launch and operating conditions.

  • Space Mass Spectrometer Mechanical Engineering
  • NASA-Standard Ruggedization and Environmental Hardening
  • Full Lifecycle Instrumentation Development

Industries

Aerospace · Space · Defense · Government

Projects

DRAGONFLY Mass Spectrometer (DraMS)

Space · Client: NASA

Project details

Subsystem design, analysis, and qualification support for the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer bound for Titan. Focuses on mechanical and electronic stability under extreme temperature and pressure conditions.

DAVINCI Venus Mass Spectrometer (VMS)

Space · Client: NASA

Project details

Atmospheric probe instrumentation engineering for the DAVINCI mission to Venus.

ARTEMIS III LEMS

Space · Client: NASA

Project details

Lunar instrumentation engineering for the ARTEMIS III Lunar Environment Monitoring Station.

Mosaic Baffle Scan Mechanism

Space

Project details

Mechanism development and assembly.