Space Commerce

Sidus Space and Lulav Space Partner to Launch Event-Based Star Tracker on June SpaceX Mission

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
Sidus Space
July 6, 2023
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Sidus Space and Lulav Space Partner to Launch Event-Based Star Tracker on June SpaceX Mission
Sidus

Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) (the “Company” or “Sidus”), a multi-faceted Space and Defense-as-a-Service satellite company, today announced it has partnered with Lulav Space, a robotics company specializing in space applications (“Lulav”), to research, develop and demonstrate the benefits of Event-based Star Trackers (EBST). Sidus plans to include the Lulav/Sidus EBST on its fourth planned LizzieSat mission, currently scheduled to launch with SpaceX in June of next year. This contract is part of the previously announced Space Florida award under the Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership.

“An EBST can provide more accurate information on the orientation of satellites with high angular spin rate, such as our innovative, AI driven, 3D-printed LizzieSat. This technology will be particularly valuable in our emerging LizzieSat constellation as we build out our high-margin, recurring revenue, data-as-a-service business model,” said Carol Craig, Founder and CEO of Sidus Space. “We believe our collaboration with Lulav Space will fill an important knowledge gap in developing this technology, and we look forward to working with Lulav on this valuable project.”

In addition to their lower size, weight and power (low SWaP), event-based cameras have been widely recognized to have exceptional performance at high angular rates compared to traditional camera sensors. Star Trackers capture and analyze star images to accurately determine satellite orientation in space; however, utilizing traditional camera sensors, they can only operate at low angular rates, limiting satellite performance and robustness. This project will combine Lulav’s expertise in vision-based space applications with Sidus’ satellite development, deployment, and operations expertise, to develop and test in-orbit the first commercial EBST, a star tracker utilizing an event-based camera.

About Sidus Space

Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) is a Space and Defense-as-a-Service satellite company focused on mission-critical hardware manufacturing; multi-disciplinary engineering services; satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations; and in-orbit support. The Company is located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it operates from a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing facility focused on vertically integrated Space-as-a-Service solutions including end-to-end satellite support.

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. More than just a “Satellite-as-a-Service” provider, Sidus Space is a trusted Mission Partner–from concept to Low Earth Orbit and beyond. Sidus Space is ISO 9001:2015, AS9100 Rev. D certified, and ITAR registered.

About Lulav Space

Lulav Space provides a complete guidance, navigation & control (GN&C) software suite for a variety of space missions such as lunar landing, satellite on-orbit servicing and active debris removal, with a fraction of the power, mass and cost than existing RADAR or LIDAR based systems. Lulav sensors are customizable with mission-specific algorithms and easily integrate with a wide range of spacecraft. The GN&C suite can support missions from LEO to lunar orbit and lunar soft touchdown. Lulav Space is a startup company that was founded by experts in GN&C, computer vision, and simulation. The company’s engineers took part in the Beresheet 1 mission, the first private Lunar lander mission, launched in 2019.

Lulav is the subcontractor for GN&C software suite of the Beresheet-2 lunar landers.

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.