Design and evaluation of prototype readout electronics for nuclide detector in Very Large Area Space Telescope

China plans to develop the next generation dark matter particle explorer satellite, referred to as the Very Large Area Space Telescope (VLAST). As an essential step in this process, the prototype design of detectors and electronics for the VLAST is currently underway. The nuclide detector is a core detector in the VLAST. It mainly measures nuclides’ charges and distinguishes high-energy gamma rays and electrons. This paper will discuss the prototype readout electronics for the VLAST’s nuclide detector, which accurately measures the charge signal of the photomultiplier tubes using the VATA160 application-specific integrated circuit chip; furthermore, we consider a series of critical problems, including radiation-hardening and environment monitoring. The test results show that the system exhibits stable operation, good performance, and good technical indicators. Furthermore, each electronic channel achieves a dynamic range of 0–12.5 pC, the random noise level exceeds 1.6 fC, and the integral nonlinearity exceeds 0.35%.