SIDU - SpaceX Launching SIDU's LIZZIESAT Today LUNR Missions on the Horizon

2024-03-04 12:48:53 ET

DENVER, Colo., Mar 04, 2024 ( 247marketnews.com ) – Sidus Space, Inc. ( NASDAQ:SIDU ) announced the scheduled launch of its LizzieSat satellite, with a launch window opening today, March 4, 2024, at 2:05 p.m. PDT. The event is part of the SpaceX Transporter-10 Rideshare mission , taking place at the Space Launch Complex 4 East, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Live updates regarding the mission will be accessible via X @SPACEX .

Carol Craig, the CEO of Sidus Space, conveyed the significance of the LizzieSat launch, stating, “As we prepare to launch LIZZIESAT, our multi-mission Space Platform with a Purpose™, the launch signifies a momentous occasion not only for Sidus Space but also for the broader space industry. It underscores the continued progress and innovation within the sector and highlights the importance of cooperation and partnership in pushing the boundaries of space technologies” Craig further expressed gratitude towards the collaborative endeavors of partners, stakeholders, and the Vandenberg Space Force Base team for their instrumental roles in facilitating this launch.

The launch of LizzieSat marks a crucial advancement in Sidus Space’s commitment to Bringing Space Down to Earth™, encapsulating years of rigorous planning, expertise, and cooperative effort. You can catch further updates at the Sidus Space website at SidusSpace.com

SpaceX’s Rideshare program offers dedicated SSO Missions as well as LEO and Polar orbits. What is amazing about the Rideshare program is that you can put 100kg (220lbs) into LEO (Low Earth Orbit) for about $600k, or a 50kg (110lbs) for $300k. You can read more on SpaceX’s rideshare program here

After Intuitive Machines ( NASDAQ:LUNR ) first successful failure soft-crash on the lunar surface February 22, 2024 says it was mainly a learning mission for NASA though it’s CLPS for future missions.  The company’s Nova-c lander named Odysseus ended its week-long mission near the lunar south pole after a mix of successes and failures.

NASA is banking on a sequence of cost-effective, privately led lunar missions to lay the groundwork for astronaut missions within this decade. This strategy provides financial leeway for potential setbacks while presenting significant rewards for companies that achieve success with minimal expenditure.

“It’s a new way of going to the moon, eventually to Mars, and it’s a new moon that we go to,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in an interview, calling Intuitive Machines’ mission a successful example. “We don’t go to a permanently lit, smoother area on the equator like Apollo, we go to a very hazardous, dark area with a bunch of pits.”

Intuitive’s shares ( NASDAQ:LUNR ) – which had nearly tripled, then plummeted in wild swings over the course of the Odysseus mission are now trading in the $5.40 range with a market cap of 543 million.

Studies on galactic observations, for instance, “will not be conducted, nor will an image of the galaxy be obtained,” said Steve Durst, who led a team at the Hawaii-based International Lunar Observatory Association that put a dual-camera system on board Odysseus to capture images of the Milky Way Galaxy from the lunar surface.

Still, Durst said: “We’re delighted that our country has finally touched the moon again – even though a little bit stumbling – but we’re back. And that’s significant.”

And although other experiments were disappointing – a camera developed by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University never deployed in space as intended – some worked fine.

Lonestar Data Holdings, a Houston-based startup developing space-based data centers, had a small server aboard the lander to test data transmission between Earth and the moon.

“We got everything we needed out of the mission, and we’re incredibly happy,” Lonestar chief executive Chris Stott said. Lonestar has already booked space on the next Intuitive Machines flight this year.

That’s right, Intuitive Machines actually has 3 missions slated IM-1 was just the first. The second mission IM-2 ( Nasa Event IM-2 ) ( Prime-1 Mission ) cargo space is already sold out. All three missions are NASA CLPS approved and the European Space Agency has expressed interest in flying on one of the company’s missions.

Altemus said that non-lethal mistakes had illustrated an array of improvements to make on IM-2. The most egregious mistake on the mission was forgetting to turn off a safety switch that prevented the landing laser from working; Altemus said the IM-1 team had gotten better at anticipating potential problems and workarounds.

“As we went through the mission, we got further and further ahead thinking about the possible failures, and what could get us, and what we had to fix in that certain time frame,” he said.

As for the equipment, “When I think of major redesigns, I’m thinking about adding cameras, and adding antennas, things like that,” he added.

Part of the mission’s success was that, by past standards of space budgets, it was a bargain.

NASA put $118 million into the Intuitive Machines mission, and the company spent roughly $100 million itself.

“This was not an Apollo-era, multibillion-dollar program where a failure’s not an option. These are the low-cost bets, an order of magnitude cheaper,” said Chad Anderson, head of venture capital firm Space Capital. “So you get to try again.”

Intuitive Machines will try again later this year with its IM-2 mission slated for no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2024 with the IM-3 mission slated for early 2025.

247MarketNews will update on these company’s missions, stay tuned!

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