Sidus Space Inc (NASDAQ:SIDU) has said it recently signed an agreement with Exolaunch to use its CarboNIX separation system to deploy LizzieSat satellites during the LizzieSat rideshare missions with SpaceX in 2023 and 2024.
The agreement includes comprehensive technical support that ensures safe, reliable LizzieSat microsatellite deployment.
Earlier this year, Sidus signed a multi-launch agreement with SpaceX for five LizzieSat rideshare missions beginning in 2023. As a follow-on to the SpaceX agreement, Sidus chose Exolaunch’s CarboNIX deployment system for LizzieSat separation from the launch vehicle for those five missions. CarboNIX will deploy each LizzieSat seamlessly and evenly via its patented synchronous spring pusher system.
READ: Sidus Space to open Netherlands office as part of international growth plan
CarboNIX also ensures an average tumbling rate of under 1° per second post-release on all three axes, making it the lowest-shock and lowest-tumbling separation system yet deployed in space. CarboNIX has so far flown on 10 missions and deployed 40 satellites with a 100% success rate.
In a statement, John Curry, Sidus chief mission operations officer, said: “Sidus’s highest priority is getting LizzieSat and our customers into space safely and reliably. This Exolaunch multi-mission agreement to deploy LizzieSats from the launch vehicle provides Sidus customers high confidence their hosted payloads will arrive safely in orbit”.
Exolaunch (Germany, USA) is a global leader in rideshare launch, integration, deployment, in-space logistics services and products for the NewSpace industry. With a decade of flight heritage and 232 satellites launched over 17 missions via various global launch vehicles, Exolaunch leverages keen industry insight to develop tailored one-stop solutions to meet customer needs and address market trends.
Exolaunch fulfils launch contracts for NewSpace leaders, the world's most innovative startups, research institutions, government organizations and various space agencies. The company also manufactures its own flight-proven and industry-leading small satellite deployers and develops a line of environmentally friendly orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), known as Reliant, for last-mile satellite delivery, in-space logistics and space debris removal. Exolaunch is committed to make orbit accessible to all and to promote the safe, sustainable and responsible use of space.
“The Space-as-a-Service offering via the LizzieSat platform is extremely valuable for organizations seeking to deploy their technologies and products in orbit. Exolaunch is proud to have signed a multi-mission hardware agreement with Sidus Space to provide integration services and a smooth separation of LizzieSat via the CarboNIX separation rings,” commented Kier Fortier, managing director of Exolaunch USA.
Located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Sidus Space operates from a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing facility focused on commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection. The company’s rich heritage includes the design and manufacture of many flight and ground component parts and systems for various space-related customers and programs.
Sidus Space has a broad range of Space-as-a-Service offerings including space-rated hardware manufacturing, design engineering, satellite manufacturing and platform development, launch and support services, data analytics services and satellite constellation management. According to Euroconsult, the SmallSat (spacecraft with a mass of less than 500 kg) manufacturing market is expected to grow 258% to $55.6 billion in the next decade. The total space economy is forecasted to surpass $1 trillion by 2040, up from $370 billion in 2020.
Sidus Space has a mission of Bringing Space Down to Earth and a vision of enabling space flight heritage status for new technologies while delivering data and predictive analytics to domestic and global customers. Any corporation, industry, or vertical can start their journey off-planet with Sidus Space’s rapidly scalable, low-cost satellite services, space-based solutions, and testing alternatives.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com