Sierra Space (updates)

[DocM]

Sierra Nevada Corp is spinning off its Space Division to become Sierra Space,

 

Dream Chaser spaceplane (cargo and crew). Dream Chaser starts flying cargo missions to ISS in 1-2 years.

 

Shooting Star logistics module/tug/outpost

 

Large Inflatable Fabric Environment (LIFE) habitats (like Bigelow's)

 

etc.

 

https://spacenews.com/sierra-nevada-corporation-to-spin-off-space-division/

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WASHINGTON — Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will spin off its space division into a separate company, a move reflecting the “historic growth” it foresees for that business in the next several years.

 

In a message to employees April 14, SNC Chairwoman and President Eren Ozmen said the company’s Space Systems division will become a standalone company, called Sierra Space, although remain a subsidiary of SNC.

 

Creating Sierra Space, she said, will enable the company to better capture expected growth in the space industry. SNC’s space business currently generates $400 million in annual revenue, and she projected that increasing to $4 billion in 5 to 10 years. Privately-held SNC has traditionally disclosed few details about its revenue.

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[DocM]

Sounds like an abort to landing site for Florida launches.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-57417590

 

Quote

 

Spaceport Cornwall signs agreement with US company

 

The Sierra Nevada Corporation wants to make spaceflight "globally accessible".

 

Its spaceplane Dream Chaser, run by subsidiary Sierra Space, is designed to launch vertically to low-Earth obit and land on a spaceport or runway.

 

Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport near Newquay, said she was "delighted" to welcome Sierra Space ahead of the G7.

 

Spaceport Cornwall is working towards launching the first satellites into space in spring 2022.

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"Spaceport Cornwall is an excellent partnership to assist in our endeavour to make space travel globally accessible."

 

The deputy chief executive of UK Space Agency, Ian Annett, said: "This exciting collaboration, enabled by funding provided by the UK Space Agency, will help Spaceport Cornwall realise their ambitions and support the growth of the UK spaceflight industry."

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[DocM]

Latest Sierra Space & Dream Chaser spaceplane info. More in the pdf (24.5 mb)

 

PDF...

 

3 versions of Dream Chaser,

 

DC100, DC200, DC300 

 

National security missions (USSF?)

 

DC will do Earth point-2-point transport

 

Their inflatable LIFE habitat can be a space or surface habitat. 27 ft (8.23 m) in diameter, 3 decks.

 

Etc.

 

 

 

[DocM]

Dream Chaser 100 (cargo) and DC 200 (crew) are funded. DC 300 (national security) is still under study. 

 

https://spacenews.com/sierra-space-raises-1-4-billion/

 

Quote

Sierra Space raises $1.4 billion

 

WASHINGTON — Sierra Space, the space subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), has raised $1.4 billion in a Series A round that values the company at $4.5 billion.

 

The company announced the round Nov. 19, led by General Atlantic, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures, with participation from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Private Equity Partners, AE Industrial Partners and various strategic family offices.

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The company will use about two thirds of the funds for work on Dream Chaser, the lifting-body vehicle it is building for to transport cargo for the International Space Station starting in late 2022. That includes development of a crewed version of the vehicle that could make its first flight with people on board as soon as 2025, Vice said.

 

Sierra Space is also investigating the possibility of developing a version of Dream Chaser for national security applications. He declined to comment on specific differences between that version of Dream Chaser and those used for commercial cargo and crew versions.

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And, Sierra Space is farming out production of the  Shooting Star logistics module to Spirit Aerosystems in Kansas.

 

https://spacenews.com/sierra-space-to-partner-with-spirit-aerosystems-on-dream-chaser-cargo-modules/

 

Shooting Star has room for about 4,500 kg of cargo, attachments for external payloads, solar panels and a propulsion system so it can also act as a free flying tug or experimental platform.

 

The US DOD is also looking at it as a cislunar outpost, possibly attached to Sierra's LIFE expandable habitat (Sierra bought Bigelow Aerospace's IP).

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by DocM

[DocM]

Turkey may gain access to human spaceflight

 

To add a bit of context, Sierra Nevada Corp. is owned by Turkish-Americans Fatih Ozmen (CEO) and Eren Ozmen (President). SNC is also a major US defense contractor.

 

https://spacenews.com/sierra-space-signs-agreement-with-turkish-space-agency/

 

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Sierra Space signs agreement with Turkish Space Agency

 

WASHINGTON — Sierra Space announced an agreement with the Turkish Space Agency and an affiliated company June 29 that could lead to cooperation on human spaceflight and lunar missions.

 

Sierra Space said it signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Turkish Space Agency and ESEN Sistem Entegrasyon, a Turkish company affiliated with Sierra Nevada Corporation, spanning a broad range of potential partnerships among the organizations that could include use of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spacecraft and inflatable modules it is developing for the Orbital Reef space station.
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[DocM]

Dream Chaser spaceplane powers up.

This is Dream Chaser 100 (cargo), based on the NASA HL-20 & the Soviet BOR-4. Already selected for commercial cargo, it should fly in 2024.

Dream Chaser 201 (crew) will be 40% larger. about the size of NASA's HL-42 concept. Sierra is targeting 2026, and it can't come soon enough given how screwed up Boeing's Starliner is.

https://www.sierraspace.com/newsroom/press-releases/sierra-spaces-dream-chaser-spaceplane-comes-to-life/

Quote

MAY 31, 2023
Dream Chaser, the World’s First Commercial Spaceplane, Powers Up Achieving a Major Step Forward in Realizing the Vision of Sustainable Commercial Space Travel
LOUISVILLE, Colo. – May 31, 2023 – Sierra Space, a leading, pureplay commercial space company building the first end-to-end business and technology platform in space, is thrilled to announce the successful power up of its revolutionary Dream Chaser® spaceplane.

Dream Chaser represents a groundbreaking leap in space transportation technology, designed to provide reliable and cost-effective access to space for a wide range of applications. With its unique lifting body design, the spaceplane combines the flexibility of an aircraft with the capabilities of a spacecraft, revolutionizing space travel.
The power-up of Dream Chaser signifies the activation of its integrated systems, showcasing the culmination of years of rigorous engineering, design, and testing. Sierra Space simulated the power that will be generated from Dream Chaser’s solar arrays once on orbit. Test engineers plugged that power into Dream Chaser and began turning on systems. Sierra Space exercised flight computers, base processors and low-voltage distribution units.
“This is a milestone that points to the future and is a key moment in a long journey for Dream Chaser.” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space. “With this significant achievement, our Dream Chaser spaceplane is poised to redefine commercial space travel, opening up new possibilities for scientific research, technological advancements, and economic opportunities in space.”
The successful test was a key moment for the progress of space technology after years of design and development across Sierra Space, enabled by the accomplishments of many teams from system level design to final assembly and test.
Dream Chaser is a reusable, fully autonomous, orbital spaceplane designed to transport cargo to low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations such as the International Space Station (ISS) and land at conventional runways. Measuring about one-quarter the size of the Space Shuttle, it features autonomous launch, flight, and landing capabilities with a smooth 1.5 low-G re-entry on compatible commercial runways worldwide.

 

Dream Chaser 100 (cargo)

 

Dream Chaser 201 (crew)

Edited June 4, 2023 by DocM

[DocM]

So Sierra Space hires 150 contract workers to build cargo Dream Chaser 101, based on a carbon composite lifting body. The vehicle Tenacity is now being prepared for launch, and a second DC cargo is under construction.

Those contract folks are now being laid off, and 150 people with national security clearances are being transferred in from Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC),

Sounding more and more like these people will be used to build DC-200 (crew) & DC-300 (national security) imaged in the previous post, which are based an entirely different airframe.

Speculation; 

The upcoming Falcon Heavy X-37B spaceplane launch to a much higher orbit may be a preview of what DC-200/300 are intended to do. Quite possibly, cisunar (Moon space) missions. Both will be using a much more cylindrical air frame, quite possibly metal* instead of DC-100's composite lifting body,

SNC did contract for mini-stations in cislunar space based on Sierra's Shooting Star logistics module. 

* stainless steel? Much easier to fabricate, better for high-speed reentry, and DC does use a Starship-like thermal tile.

Edited November 26, 2023 by DocM

[DocM]

Sierra's LIFE* space habitat module full scale burst test

* Large Inflatable Fabric Environment, the successor to the Bigelow modules.

https://youtu.be/Hp9ZwrXE_TU