Sidus Space Inc (NASDAQ:SIDU) said it has been awarded a multi-million dollar agreement with The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) to deploy and test TNO’s laser communications technology aboard a Sidus LizzieSat satellite.
Shares of the Space-as-a-Service company rocketed on the announcement, adding 33.8% at US$0.78 in pre-market trading on Wednesday.
Sidus said as part of the $2.5 million agreement, TNO will design and deliver HemiCAT, a high-efficiency miniature communications laser terminal, which Sidus will integrate into its hybrid 3D printed satellite LizzieSat.
Sidus will manage all aspects of integration, deployment, and operations, including procuring a launch and operating HemiCAT in orbit.
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The in-orbit demonstration mission for laser satellite communication is part of a study of Dutch defence technology, the company noted.
"This partnership will allow us to demonstrate further versatility of our LizzieSat platform and advance our mission of 'Bringing Space Down to Earth' while continuing to expand our reach into the international satellite market,” Sidus Space CEO Carol Craig commented.
"The Sidus team offered the best turnkey solution, designing, building, and deploying flight heritage hardware for demanding applications — the perfect combination of expertise and capabilities we look for in a partner,” TNO Business Development manager Michiel Ringers said in a statement.
Sidus Space is a Space-as-a-Service company focused on commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and space-based data collection combined with space and defence mission-critical hardware manufacturing.
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