Sidus Space establishes two-way communication with 3D-printed satellite

Sidus Space, a versatile space and data-as-a-service satellite company, announced that it has established two-way communication with its state-of-the-art 3D-printed satellite, LizzieSat, focused on Earth observation and remote sensing solutions powered by Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (Geo-AI).

The LizzieSat combines the strength of metal with the benefits of 3D printing technology, made possible by Markforged’s flame retardant Onyx FR-A material. This innovation leads to a reduction in cost, weight and production time. With an expected production time of 45 days per satellite, including printing and assembly, Sidus promises an efficient production chain. Following the successful launch of the first LizzieSat at the beginning of the year, Sidus plans to launch two more satellites of this type before the end of the year.

“Sidus’ cutting edge, state-of-the-art LizzieSats are at the core of our high-margin Data-as-a-Service business model,” said Carol Craig, Sidus’ CEO and Founder. “The combination of our rapid, 3D-printing production process, our multi-sensor coincident data collection, and the integration of on-orbit AI gives Sidus an edge as we build our satellite constellation to collect and sell data to our customers.”

LizzieSat can integrate multiple sensors, enabling simultaneous data collection for industries such as agriculture, maritime and oil and gas. The sensors used include hyperspectral, multispectral, automatic identification systems (AIS) and optical systems. In addition, the satellite features Sidus’ FeatherEdge AI hardware and software solution developed on board for near real-time processing of image and sensor data to provide timely actionable information.