The integrated mission will become Sidus's first launch from Florida's "Space Coast," and it will proceed following the expansion of the qualification test range for Fortis.
Cape Canaveral, Florida, September 28, 2026 / PRNewswire / — Sidus Space, Inc. (Nasdaq ticker: SIDU, referred to as “Sidus” or “the Company”) is a vertically integrated aerospace and defense technology company. The Company announced today that LizzieSat-4 and LizzieSat-5 have currently been scheduled for the Bandwagon-6 combined launch mission of SpaceX, with a target launch date no earlier than April 2027. The Company stated that the specific launch time will depend on the results of qualification tests, the integration of the spacecraft, as well as the progress of preparations for the carrier rocket and the combined mission.
LizzieSat-5 was previously included in the Transporter-18 order launch task of SpaceX. The original target launch time was not earlier than October 2026. Sidus indicates that the company has decided to transfer this aircraft to Bandwagon-6 in order to expand the scope of qualification testing for the company's Fortis VPX - Maxima platform, to verify whether its performance meets the capability requirements expected for future tasks.
Sidus Space Chief Operating Officer Patrick Butler stated: "Expanding the Fortis qualification test program allows us to characterize the platform for a wider range of mission requirements within a single testing window, without having to repeat the same work for each individual spacecraft. It also enables us to characterize Fortis in environments and interfaces beyond a single spacecraft configuration, which is precisely what the open architecture VPX approach can achieve."
Bandwagon-6 will be launched from Florida's "Space Coast," marking the first time Sidus has been launched from the very same coast where its satellites are manufactured. Both spacecraft will be transported directly from the company's manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing facilities located at Cape Canaveral to the launch site. This mission will place LizzieSat-4 and LizzieSat-5 into medium inclination orbits; the company states that compared to the sun-synchronous orbit previously planned for LizzieSat-5, this will allow for more frequent visits to mid-latitude regions.
The company stated that its pipeline of platform opportunities based on Fortis covers applications for national defense and commercial tasks. In July 2026, Sidus signed a team cooperation agreement with a commercial aerospace contractor. Under this agreement, Sidus will provide Fortis as the proposed task processor to support an advanced orbital mission plan. The company mentioned that this mission is aimed at providing resilient and high-performance capabilities to support national security objectives.
The company stated that such projects require Fortis to undergo system-level, task-level, and payload processing requirement assessments. At the same time, it is also necessary to evaluate the spacecraft platform architecture, power and thermal control budgets, dimensional constraints, as well as the data processing architecture.
LizzieSat-4 is currently in production and will subsequently enter the environmental testing phase. It will carry managed payloads from Solar MEMS, Lonestar, and Maris-Tech. LizzieSat-5, which carries payloads managed by the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, has completed its environmental testing, including vibration tests conducted at Element U in Orlando, Florida. It is now awaiting final integration. As part of the Sidus payload combination, these two spacecraft will also carry a Simera Sense HyperScape -100 imager and a Satlabs Polaris AIS receiver.
Sidus Space Founder, CEO, and Chairman Carol Craig stated: "Our customers are demanding stronger edge processing capabilities in applications on land, at sea, in the air, and in space. We have chosen to conduct additional tests on the ground rather than waiting until after orbit insertion to discover any shortcomings. Completing the validation before deploying this capability is the right decision for both our customers and the entire constellation."
About Sidus Space
Sidus Space, Inc (Nasdaq: SIDU) is a vertically integrated aerospace and defense technology company that provides satellite manufacturing and technology integration services covering all orbits, including low Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and lunar orbit; global digital mission computing solutions; mission planning and management operations; AI enabled products and services; as well as aerospace and defense hardware manufacturing. The company is committed to the mission of "reimagining space access," focusing on rapid innovation, providing adaptable solutions, and optimizing aerospace system and data acquisition performance. With proven experience in space flight, including the independent design, manufacture, and operation of LizzieSat satellites and sensor systems, Sidus Space serves government, defense, intelligence, and commercial customers worldwide. The company's headquarters is strategically located in Florida's "Space Coast," operating a 35,000 square foot facility for aerospace manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing, with direct access to nearby launch facilities. For more information, please visit: sidusspace.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Statements in this press release regarding future expectations, plans, and prospects, as well as any other non-historical factual statements, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, those relating to anticipated commencement of trading times and delivery dates. Words such as “expected,” “believed,” “continue,” “may,” “estimated,” “anticipated,” “intended,” “perhaps,” “planned,” “potential,” “predicted,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Due to a number of important factors, actual results may differ significantly from those indicated in these forward-looking statements, including uncertainties related to market conditions, as well as other factors more fully described in Sidus Space’s annual 10-K report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, under the “Risk Factors” section, and in other periodic reports submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are only applicable as of the date of issuance. Sidus Space, Inc. It is explicitly stated that no obligation is assumed to update any forward-looking statements due to new information, future events, or other reasons.
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