Sidus Space's LizzieSat® Completes Vibration Testing Ahead of Expected Fall 2026 Launch
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU) ("Sidus" or the "Company"), an innovative space and defense technology company, today announced that its next LizzieSat® has successfully completed vibration testing, a key environmental qualification milestone for SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, currently scheduled for launch no earlier than October 2026.
Vibration testing simulates the intense mechanical loads a spacecraft experiences during launch and ascent. The testing was conducted at Element U.S. Space & Defense's facility in Orlando, Florida, an accredited independent provider of product qualification and environmental testing services. Completing this testing is designed to confirm that the satellite's structure, components, and integrated payloads can withstand the stresses of liftoff and remain fully operational on orbit, a critical step in clearing the spacecraft for final integration and shipment to the launch site.
“Successfully completing vibration testing keeps us on schedule for our targeted launch on SpaceX's upcoming Transporter-18 mission. This also reflects the maturity of the LizzieSat platform and the strength of our in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities,” said Carol Craig, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman of Sidus Space. “Each LizzieSat mission builds on the flight heritage of the last, and this is the first to carry our own Fortis™ Maxima proprietary Command and Data Handling (C&DH) system, an important step toward demonstrating our own technology on-orbit for our defense and commercial customers.”
This mission marks the Company's first flight for the Fortis system, which is enhanced with edge computing technology and ruggedized for operations across space, air, land, and sea. Operating aboard LizzieSat in the demanding environment of space is expected to advance Fortis Maxima to Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL-9), the highest level of technology maturity, denoting a system proven through successful mission operations. Fortis Maxima pairs a quad-core ARM processor and reconfigurable FPGA with an integrated NVIDIA edge AI/ML engine and assured positioning, navigation, and timing (A-PNT) suite, delivering near real-time, AI-driven processing at the edge for dual-use defense and commercial applications. By maturing this technology in orbit, Sidus aims to position Fortis Maxima for broader adoption across its defense and commercial customer base.
Following vibration testing, the satellite will proceed to final integration and testing before delivery to the launch provider. Sidus designs, manufactures, assembles, and tests its LizzieSat spacecraft in-house at its facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, reflecting the vertically integrated model that underpins its rapid, cost-effective approach to mission delivery.