OSCP unveils MK2Z-3, a photonic IMU with up to three photonic gyro axes, at Silicon Valley Space Week

The Montréal company's new inertial measurement unit puts photonic gyroscopes on one, two or all three axes in a single enclosure under one kilogram, with a design target of 0.01 °/hr or better. Samples are planned for 2027.

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- OSCPS Motion Sensing Inc., which operates as OSCP, today unveiled the MK2Z-3, a photonic inertial measurement unit now in development. The company is showing the MK2Z-3 for the first time at Silicon Valley Space Week.

The MK2Z-3 builds on the MK2Z, OSCP's prototype IMU with a photonic gyroscope on the Z axis. The new unit offers photonic gyroscopes on one, two or all three axes in the same enclosure, so integrators can match the sensor to the mission rather than redesign around it. The unit weighs under one kilogram and occupies less than one litre.

OSCP's design target for the MK2Z-3 is gyro bias stability of 0.01 degrees per hour or better, in the navigation-grade band. That class of performance has traditionally come in larger, heavier and more power-hungry packages.

"A spacecraft or a lander has to keep track of its own attitude when there is nothing outside to check against," said Kazem Zandi, founder and chief executive of OSCP. "That is a gyroscope problem. With the MK2Z-3 we are taking the photonic gyro we built for one axis and giving it to all three, in a package a small mission can carry."

Target applications include small satellites, launch vehicles, landers, re-entry capsules and planetary rovers, along with long-range, long-endurance platforms on Earth that must navigate without satellite positioning.

"Customers testing the MK2Z kept asking the same question: can we have that performance on the other two axes?" said Thibaut Gravey, vice-president, product. "The MK2Z-3 is our answer. It keeps the interfaces our customers already use, RS-422 or CAN-FD, so moving up from a single photonic axis does not mean starting the integration again."

The MK2Z-3 joins OSCP's MK2 family, which includes the MK2M2 MEMS IMU, the MK2E2 with a photonic gyroscope on the Z axis, and the MK2Z prototype. OSCP plans to ship MK2Z-3 samples in 2027. Specifications are design targets and may change during development.

The MK2Z-3 is designed in Montréal and is ITAR-free. Visitors to Silicon Valley Space Week can find OSCP at Stand 6. For details, visit oscp.com.

ABOUT OSCP

OSCPS Motion Sensing Inc., operating as OSCP, designs and manufactures photonic gyroscopes and inertial measurement units. Founded in 2015 and based in Montréal, Québec, the company builds inertial sensors that deliver tactical-grade accuracy at the size, weight, power and cost of MEMS, for navigation where GNSS is jammed, degraded or unavailable. Its customers work in space, defence, marine and subsea, rail, robotics and ground autonomy. OSCP products are made in Canada and are ITAR-free.

SOURCE OSCPS Motion Sensing Inc.