Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU) on Tuesday said it has begun payload activation upon completion of its commissioning phase of LizzieSat-1 (LS-1).
LS-1 achieved successful launch and deployment through SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg SLC-4 on March 4.
On March 14, the Sidus team accomplished the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP), establishing communication with the spacecraft. Subsequently, the orbiting object received NORAD ID 59132 from USSPACECOM, named "LizzieSat."
"We are eager to move on to the next phase of early satellite operations with LS-1 now that we have successfully completed the commissioning phase," stated Sidus Space Chief Executive Officer Carol Craig.
Following LEOP, the Sidus Mission Control Center (MCC) team entered the commissioning phase, meticulously evaluating critical subsystems' performance. Each spacecraft component was activated individually and collectively to ensure satisfactory performance after two months in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Following evaluations, Sidus verifies LizzieSat-1's successful commissioning, confirming its full functionality as a satellite.
Now, the Sidus MCC team shifts focus to activating LS-1's payloads and executing mission-critical tasks to meet or exceed payload mission success criteria.
The Payload operations phase prioritizes meeting customer needs while optimizing LizzieSat-1's performance within power, thermal, attitude control, and data downlink constraints. Sidus anticipates achieving primary objectives in the upcoming weeks.
"I am beyond proud of the entire Sidus team who has worked tirelessly to systematically move through the critical initial stage of operations for the first satellite in our constellation and look forward to launching additional satellites later this year," Craig added.
Price Action: SIDU shares are trading higher by 4.16% to $3.25 at last check Tuesday.
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Image: Courtesy of Sidus Space, Inc.