Sierra Space Working with NASA on Crewed Dream Chaser

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Sierra Space Working with NASA on Crewed Dream Chaser

Sierra Space is working with NASA under an unfunded agreement to develop a crewed version of Dream Chaser shuttle and a space station.

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Dream Chaser shuttle during taxi tests at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Test Center in California.

Sierra Space is working with NASA to develop a crewed version of its Dream Chaser cargo ship and a pathfinder version of the modules that will be used in the private Orbital Reef space station.


In June, Sierra Space and NASA signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement under the space agency’s Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities 2 (CCSC-2) initiative. CCSC-2 is part of NASA’s effort to help foster commercial activities in Earth orbit as the space agency prepares for the decommissioning of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030.

NASA also signed CCSC-2 agreements in June with Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, Special Aerospace Services, ThinkOrbital, and Vast to support various projects.

Sierra Space’s CCSC-2 agreement focuses primarily on the development of a crewed Dream Chaser and the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) pathfinder module. LIFE will be launched into orbit to test the module’s inflatable technology.

The first Dream Chaser cargo vehicle under construction. Image credit: Sierra Space.
Sierra Space has a contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) using automated Dream Chaser spacecraft. The first flight is scheduled for next year.

Sierra Space is working with Blue Origin and other partners to develop Orbital Reef space station to accommodate research, tourism and other commercial activities. The station will be composed of LIFE modules that are three stories tall and 8.2 meters (27 ft) in diameter.

The Orbital Reef space station can accommodate the Dream Chaser. Image credit: Blue Origin.
The CCSC-2 agreement gives Sierra Space access to specialized expertise that NASA has on safety systems, avionics, abort systems and other areas required for human spaceflight. The space agency will gain insight into the Colorado-based company’s plans and further its efforts to ensure a U.S. presence in Earth orbit after ISS is decommissioned.

NASA and Sierra Space will pay for their own costs under the unfunded agreement. NASA listed the full value of its cooperation with Sierra Space at $6.8 million in a document posted on the space agency’s website.

Sierra Space is also working with two NASA centers under reimbursable Space Act Agreements in which the company is paying the space agency for its services. The company is working with the Marshall Space Flight Center on habitat development and burst tests on its inflatable technology under an agreement valued at $16.1 million.

Other agreements Sierra Space has signed with NASA is a collaboration with Johnson Space Center’s Hypervelocity Impact Technology Group to develop micrometeoroid and orbital debris shielding for its orbital modules. The company will reimburse the center $92,945.48 for its work.

Lastly, Sierra Space signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA Headquarters on the development of a low-cost, high-temperature reusable thermal protection system for the Dream Chaser shuttle. NASA listed the value of the collaboration at $375,293 on its website.

The CCSC-2 agreement includes 33 milestones divided between the crewed Dream Chaser and LIFE pathfinder programs.

Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities 2 Initiative
Sierra Space-NASA Space Act Agreement
June 2023

Number	Milestone	Target Date
1.	Pathfinder System Requirements Evaluation Success Criteria: 1. Outbrief of Pathfinder Requirements evaluation and closeout as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2023
2.	Pathfinder Soft Goods Test and Payload Review Success Criteria: 1. Payload status 2. Soft Goods test Outbrief as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q3 2023
3.	DC-200 Crew Transportation System Interim Design Review Success Criteria: 1. Concept of Operations, requirements, and functional interfaces defined at sufficient detail for Sierra Space management. 2. Preliminary ascent abort test approach and objectives are defined 3. Program executable, forward work plan established. Sierra Space management deems ready to enter next design phase. 4. Action closure plan developed and accepted by Sierra Space independent review.	Q3 2023
4.	DC-200 Crew Transportation System Safety Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Sierra Space Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) approval that preliminary design is on track to meet system safety and human certification requirements. 2. Preliminary Hazard list established with hazard causes and control strategy identified.	Q4 2023
5.	Pathfinder Safety Status Review and Interim Design Review Success Criteria: 1. Sierra Space S&MA approval that design is on track to meet system safety and human certification requirements 2. Preliminary Hazard list established with hazard causes and control strategy identified 3. Program is executable, forward work plan established. Sierra Space management deems ready to enter next design phase. 4. Action closure plan developed and accepted by Sierra Space independent review	Q4 2023
6.	DC-200 Crew Transportation System Update Design Review Success Criteria: 1. Regulatory approvals on schedule, required mitigation plans meet program schedule 2. Program executable, forward work plan established. Sierra Space management deems ready to enter next design phase. 3. Action closure plan developed and accepted by Sierra Space independent review	Q1 2024
7.	DC-200 Avionics and Crew Operations Design Update Review Success Criteria: 1. Regulatory approvals on schedule, required mitigation plans meet program schedule. 2. Program executable, forward work plan established. Sierra Space management deems ready to enter next design phase. 3. Action closure plan developed and accepted by Sierra Space independent review.	Q2 2024
8.	Pathfinder Full Scale Soft Goods Long Duration Leak (LDL) Review Success Criteria: 1. Soft Goods LDL Test outbrief as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2024
9.	DC-200 Crew Avionics Design Update Review Success Criteria: 1. Regulatory approvals on schedule, required mitigation plans meet program schedule. 2. Program executable, forward work plan established. Sierra Space management deems ready to enter next design phase. 3. Action closure plan developed and accepted by Sierra Space independent review.	Q3 2024
10.	Pathfinder Safety Review Update Success Criteria: 1. Sierra Space Safety Review Status. 2. Significant actions have closure plan, accepted by Sierra Space independent review.	Q3 2024
11.	Pathfinder Program Design Update Review Success Criteria: 1. Regulatory approvals on schedule or have mitigation plans meeting program schedule. 2. Release of in-flight operational limitations/constraints (hardware and software) 3. Program executable, forward work plan established. Sierra Space management deems ready to enter next design phase. 4. Action closure plan developed and accepted by Sierra Space independent review.	Q4 2024
12.	DC-200 Inflight Abort Test Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Design documentation released, Sierra Space management deems ready to support manufacturing	Q4 2024
13.	DC-200 Crew Transportation System Safety Review Update Success Criteria: 1. Outbrief on Safety Review as approved by Sierra Space management. 2. Significant actions have closure plans approved by Sierra Space management.	Q1 2025
14.	DC-200 Flight Vehicle 1 Production Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Design documentation released, Sierra Space management deems ready to support manufacturing.	Q2 2025
15.	DC-200 In Flight Abort Vehicle System Verification Review (SVR) Success Criteria: 1. System qualification documentation, data reviewed by Sierra Space management. Open actions have approved closure plans with dates prior to first use. 2. Outbrief on SVR as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2025
16.	Pathfinder Program Test Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Release of Sierra Space-approved test plans and test procedures. 2. Outbrief on Safety Review as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q3 2025
17.	DC-200 Flight 1 Verification Status Review Success Criteria: 1. System qualification documentation, data reviewed by Sierra Space. management. Open actions have approved closure plans with dates prior to first use. 2. Integrated system and/or vehicle-level testing and analysis complete to verify as- designed and qualified system performs as expected at the integrated level. 3. Residual flight safety risks must have a mitigation plan in place to allow for resolution or acceptance by Sierra Space management prior to integrated testing and/or launch.	Q4 2025
18.	Pathfinder Thermal Vacuum Test Status Update Success Criteria: 1. Thermal vacuum chamber, Test Article, Test Facilities accepted by Sierra Space for initiation of test support.	Q4 2025
19.	Pathfinder Flight Operational Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Baseline flight products completed and are acceptable to Sierra Space management. 2. System deemed ready by Sierra Space independent review to be placed into operations. 3. System hardware, software, personnel, tools, infrastructure in place to support ops. 4. Mission risks have been identified, planned mitigations are adequate, and residual risks are acceptable to Sierra Space management.	Q1 2026
20.	DC-200 Inflight Abort Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Baseline flight products completed 2. System hardware, software, personnel, tools, infrastructure in place to support ops 3. Known hazards and causes identified. 4. Mission risks identified, planned mitigations are adequate, residual risks acceptable to Sierra Space management. 5. Outbrief on DC-200 Flight 1 Test Readiness as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q1 2026
21.	Pathfinder Flight Operations Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Flight Operations. 1.1 Flight Controllers certified to Sierra Space standards. 1.2 Simulations complete. 1.3 Procedures, Tools, Flight Rules approved and released. 1.4 Certification plan for incomplete items accepted by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2026
22.	DC-200 Inflight Abort Test Update Success Criteria: 1. Dream Chaser® (DC) Crew spacecraft has completed previous milestones to demonstrate and verify flightworthiness to Sierra Space management. 2. Outbrief on DC-200 Inflight Abort activities as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2026
23.	Pathfinder Flight Operations Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Operations staffing and plans sufficient to achieve mission performance.	Q3 2026
24.	DC-200 Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Baseline products and integrated operations completed per Sierra Space requirements. 2. System deemed ready by Sierra Space independent review. 3. System hardware, software, personnel, tools, infrastructure in place to support ops. 4. Mission risks identified, planned mitigations adequate, and residual risks are acceptable to Sierra Space management.	Q4 2026
25.	Pathfinder Cargo Visiting Vehicle Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Outbrief of VV Cargo mission capability as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q4 2026
26	Pathfinder Crew Visiting Vehicle Status Review Success Criteria: 1. Outbrief on VV Crew mission capability as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q1 2027
27.	DC-200 and Pathfinder Integration Review (2027) Success Criteria: 1. Report of current DC-200 and Pathfinder integration and mission capabilities as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2027
28.	Pathfinder Cargo Integration Review 1 Success Criteria: 1. After action report of Pathfinder cargo integration as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q3 2027
29.	DC-200 and Pathfinder Integration Mission Capability Update Success Criteria: 1. Report of current DC-200 and Pathfinder integration and mission capabilities as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q4 2027
30.	DC-200 Integration & Verification Review Success Criteria: 1. DC-200 integration, including demonstration and verification of DC-200 flight readiness outbrief, as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q1 2028
31.	Pathfinder Crew Integration Review Success Criteria: Outbrief of Pathfinder crew integration as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q2 2028
32.	Pathfinder Cargo Integration Review 2 Success Criteria: 1. Current status report of Pathfinder cargo integration as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q3 2028
33.	DC-200 and Pathfinder Integration Review (2028) Success Criteria: 1. Report of current DC-200 and Pathfinder integration status as approved by Sierra Space management.	Q4 2028

 

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Sierra Space raises nearly $300 million from Japanese consortium at over $5 billion valuation

The fresh funds come as Sierra Space focuses on getting its Dream Chaser spaceplane flying.

www.cnbc.com

SPACE

Sierra Space raises nearly $300 million from Japanese consortium at over $5 billion valuation​

Sierra Space, the subsidiary of private aerospace contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation, raised new funds at a $5.3 billion valuation, the company announced on Tuesday.

Sierra Space’s equity raise of $290 million was led by Japanese investors MUFG, Kanematsu and Tokio Marine, with significant participation from prior investors and insiders. Citigroup advised on the deal.

“Sierra Space is excited to create a long-term strategic relationship with our Japanese investors and industry partners,” CEO Tom Vice said in a statement.

CNBC previously reported the fundraise.

MUFG is the largest bank in Japan, and Sierra noted the trio of investors are already working with the country’s space agency to study the market opportunity in low Earth orbit – where the International Space Station operates currently.

“MUFG has decided to invest in Low Earth Orbit to support commercialization, the creation of new industries, and the resolution of social issues,” MUFG Bank President and CEO Junichi Hanzawa said in a statement.

Two years ago, Sierra Space raised $1.4 billion at a $4.5 billion valuation from investors including General Atlantic, BlackRock, AE Industrial Partners, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures.




The fresh funds come as Sierra Space focuses on getting its Dream Chaser spaceplane flying.

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Dream Chaser has been in development for years with a goal to deliver cargo and eventually crew to low Earth orbit as a reusable vehicle. It resembles a miniaturized NASA Space Shuttle in appearance and is built to launch atop a traditional rocket and land on a runway like an airplane.

The first Dream Chaser launch was previously scheduled for late last year, but delays in the development of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket pushed back that timeline. Dream Chaser is planned to launch on ULA’s second Vulcan mission, with the first Vulcan launch targeting the fourth quarter of this year.

Sierra Space is also one of several companies working on a private space station. It plans to launch a “pathfinder” demonstration mission of its LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat in 2026.