Sierra SpaceSierra Space is a leading, pureplay commercial space company at the forefront of innovation and the commercialization of space in the Orbital Age™, building an end-to-end business and technology platform in space to benefit life on Earth.
With more than 30 years and 500 missions of space flight heritage, the company is enabling the future of space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only commercial spaceplane, and is bringing LIFE™ (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) to Low Earth Orbit with its modular, three-story commercial habitation and science platform.
Sierra Space also builds and delivers a host of systems and subsystems across solar power, mechanics and motion control, environmental control, life support, propulsion and thermal control, offering myriad space-as-a-service solutions for the new space economy.
Sierra Space | A Leading Pureplay Commercial Space CompanySierra Space2023-09-27 | Sierra Space is a leading, pureplay commercial space company at the forefront of innovation and the commercialization of space in the Orbital Age™, building an end-to-end business and technology platform in space to benefit life on Earth.
With more than 30 years and 500 missions of space flight heritage, the company is enabling the future of space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only commercial spaceplane, and is bringing LIFE™ (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) to Low Earth Orbit with its modular, three-story commercial habitation and science platform.
Sierra Space also builds and delivers a host of systems and subsystems across solar power, mechanics and motion control, environmental control, life support, propulsion and thermal control, offering myriad space-as-a-service solutions for the new space economy.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspacePower Station: Solar Factory Built to Power Spacecraft SurgeSierra Space2025-08-07 | The Power Station is a brand-new Sierra Space production facility that will house world-class manufacturing capabilities to produce Surface Mount Technology (SMT) defense-hardened solar arrays, which provide best-in-class power density, resiliency, and production lead times. Sierra Space has pioneered SMT solar cells attached to Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that are assembled using standard commercial electronics pick-and-place technology.
These high efficiency multi-junction MWT (Metallized Wrap Through) “micro-cells” are robotically placed onto engineered printed circuit boards enabling automated production, higher power densities and shorter lead times for deployable solar arrays.
This development addresses the needs of both small- and large-scale deployable missions while reducing lead times for Sierra Space customers and offering significant system advantages over conventional solar panels and arrays.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceNASA Fires Hypervelocity Projectile at Inflatable Space StationSierra Space2025-04-24 | Sierra Space recently conducted successful hypervelocity impact trials at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to optimize the structural integrity of Sierra Space's Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE®) habitat. The goal of this NASA-supported testing was to refine a shield for the company’s expandable, flexible space station structure to make it capable of withstanding impacts from hazards on orbit.
This test exceeded NASA's Factor of Safety recommendations, demonstrating a safety factor greater than 16x in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 23x in lunar environments.
Our team continues to lead in the development of expandable structures for various space applications, as we build the world's first commercial space station.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceAdvancing Next-Gen Space Station Tech with Sierra Space and NASASierra Space2024-07-25 | Sierra Space, a leading commercial space-tech company that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced today that its expandable space station technology successfully passed a seventh key validation test, and second full-scale structural test, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The results herald a giant leap towards building the world’s first end-to-end business and technology platform in Low Earth Orbit, enabling humanity to find the answers to some of the toughest problems faced on Earth.
Completion of the successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test, which occurred on June 18 in collaboration with ILC Dover Astrospace and NASA, accelerates Sierra Space’s revolutionary softgoods technology towards on-orbit operations. Planned for an initial stand-alone pathfinder mission before the end of the decade, the technology will also feature as a key element of the Orbital Reef commercial space station. The test will close out Milestone #8 for Orbital Reef with Blue Origin under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program.
The Dream Chaser, spaceplane, named Tenacity, arrived at Kennedy on May 18 and joined its companion Shooting Star cargo module, where they will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing ahead of launch scheduled for later this year.
Upon arrival at NASA Kennedy, teams moved Tenacity to the high bay inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF).
The remaining pre-flight activities at Kennedy include acoustic and electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing, completion of work on the spaceplane’s thermal protection system, and final payload integration.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceSierra Space Ghost: The Future Space Delivery SystemSierra Space2024-04-08 | Sierra Space Ghost is a state-of-the-art space delivery system engineered to safely return objects from space – and through space – directly to precise locations on Earth. Ghost, a low beta reentry vehicle utilizing revolutionary deployable decelerator technology, represents a significant leap forward in space logistics and recovery operations, promising to enhance the sustainability and safety of space. Ghost will be able to deliver payloads anywhere in the world in 90 minutes or less, enabling a highly responsive space-based system without the need for a fixed infrastructure. Remarkably, Ghost transitioned from development to flight testing in just 90 days, showcasing Axelerator’s rapid prototyping and development capabilities.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceWorlds First Commercial Space Station Design and Testing Questions Answered | LIFE Habitat TechSierra Space2024-03-14 | Our full scale burst test film prompted a number of questions on the design and function of our LIFE habitat technology. We asked Shawn Buckley - Senior Director, Engineering and Beth Licavoli - Softgoods Certification Lead, to answer your most popular questions along with a few favorites.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceDream Chaser Spaceplane Environmental Test Campaign at NASA Armstrong Test FacilitySierra Space2024-02-27 | The Dream Chaser spaceplane is running through it's environmental test campaign at NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. These critical tests will ensure Dream Chaser is ready for the launch pad later this year for the NASA CRS-2 Mission to the International Space Station.
“The last several years have required an enormous amount of tenacity by our team and no other name would have been more appropriate for our first Dream Chaser spaceplane.” – Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceFull-Scale LIFE™ Inflatable Space Station Burst Test at NASA Marshall Space Flight CenterSierra Space2024-01-22 | Sierra Space has achieved a major milestone in the development of the first commercial space station. The first Ultimate Burst Pressure test of our full-scale LIFE™ structure at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center exceeded #NASA's recommended x4 safety levels by 27%. The article was one third the volume of the International #Space Station and will be an integral part of future commercial space destinations.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceWorlds First Commercial Space Station Burst Test TeaserSierra Space2023-12-21 | Our team has completed the first ever, full-scale ultimate burst pressure test for our commercial space station. The test was conducted at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center with a full-scale test article that included two metallic blanking plates to support windows that are specifically designed for maximum performance. We look forward to sharing more in January 2024.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceShooting Star Cargo Module Arrives at NASAs Neil Armstrong Test Facility for TestingSierra Space2023-11-30 | Rigorous environmental testing has begun for the Shooting Star cargo module - Dream Chaser's cargo companion - which recently arrived at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. The spacecraft is undergoing a comprehensive testing campaign to ensure it can withstand the rigor of launch and the challenging conditions of space as it's readied for its inaugural mission to resupply the International Space Station.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceReinventing the Space Station with LIFE HabitatSierra Space2023-09-20 | Learn how Sierra Space is driving significant cost savings for operating on-orbit with the LIFE Habitat. This latest successful milestone and the first one in the testing campaign to include a metallic window sub-structure – or blanking plate – now propels Sierra Space into full-scale testing of LIFE by the end of this year. The milestone cements the company’s position as the industry leader in commercial space station development for use in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and deep space.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceDream Chaser Spaceplane CRS-2 Mission ProfileSierra Space2023-09-07 | Learn how the world’s only commercial spaceplane flies from launch to landing for its upcoming NASA CRS-2 mission to resupply the International Space Station. With its unique design, Dream Chaser incurs a 1.5g re-entry before landing at NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, making critical cargo accessible faster.
The Sierra Space VORTEX® VRM1500-H produces 1,500 pounds of force (lbf) thrust and achieved high thrust efficiency during recent testing at the company’s propulsion test facility in Wisconsin. VORTEX technology will serve a critical industry need for engines that can support in-space propulsion for spacecraft orbital maneuvering and extraterrestrial landers.
#SierraSpace #Space #Rocket #Engineering #Technology #NewsLIFE Habitat | Sierra Space Successfully Completes Month Long Creep TestSierra Space2023-03-23 | Sierra Space has successfully performed a month-long Accelerated Systematic Creep (ASC) test on LIFE – the first milestone in its 2023 testing campaign.
Engineers loaded a one-third-scale version of the inflatable habitat with a sustained amount of pressure over an extended period until it failed.
The campaign demonstrated that the LIFE habitat pressure shell design has a predicted life of far greater than 60 years – or 525,600 hours – based on Sierra Space’s 15-year on-orbit life requirement and the applied 4x safety factor.
The next series of one-third-scale LIFE certification tests will focus on inserting hard structures into the pressure shell and correlating the results to previous tests. Sierra Space anticipates moving toward full-scale LIFE habitat tests later this year.
Thanks to a recently signed Space Act Agreement with NASA, Sierra Space will expand its collaborative environment with Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in Huntsville, Ala., to continue critical work on LIFE. Alabama is the seventh location across the nation where Sierra Space operates facilities, joining Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.
#SierraSpace #NASA #spaceLIFE Habitat | Successful Accelerated Systematic Creep Test for Extended Human MissionsSierra Space2023-01-31 | Sierra Space has completed its third successful test of its inflatable LIFE Habitat. This latest assessment, called an Accelerated Systematic Creep Test, was conducted on a subscale version of the habitat and exceeded NASA certification requirements for the Duration Test for Extended Human Missions.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceReasons to Believe | LIFE Habitat for Space ExplorationSierra Space2023-01-30 | Sierra Space’s LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat launches on a conventional rocket and inflates on-orbit to a large structure that is three stories tall, and 27 feet in diameter. It's stronger than steel and designed to support LEO applications and long-duration missions.
"Investing in these types of technologies and developing them for space exploration means that we can leverage it for other applications that directly benefit humanity." - Mickey Mathew, Systems Engineer - Space Destinations
We look forward to continuing to build this key element in our Destinations portfolio and paving the way for the development of advanced inflatable habitat systems and architectures.
We provide patented rocket propulsion technologies, state-of-the-art testing and analysis services, and decades of experience in the use of planetary resources for civil space, commercial space, and military operations.
Our propulsion team has designed, manufactured, and tested multiple thrust chamber assemblies in the 1 lbf to 35,000 lbf thrust class range with a variety of propellant combinations, such as Peroxide/RP1, LOX/kerosene, LOX/propane, LOX/Hydrogen and N2O/propane.
Connect with us on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/SierraSpaceCo Twitter: twitter.com/sierraspaceco YouTube: youtube.com/c/SierraSpace Instagram: instagram.com/sierraspaceco LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sierraspaceSierra Space’s LIFE Habitat Successfully Completes Second Ultimate Burst Pressure TestSierra Space2022-12-13 | Sierra Space conducted a successful Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) test on a sub-scale version of the company’s LIFE™ habitat at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. LIFE, or Large Integrated Flexible Environment, is an inflatable habitation module developed by Sierra Space for use on Orbital Reef, the world’s first commercial space station. A full-scale LIFE habitat expands to the size of a three-story apartment building in space, where astronauts can live and work comfortably for long periods of time. The test exceeded NASA certification requirements for inflatable habitation modules and further establishes Sierra Space as the leader in commercial space station development. Sierra Space is the only active commercial space company to meet multiple successful UBP trials.
We provide patented rocket propulsion technologies, state-of-the-art testing and analysis services, and decades of experience in the use of planetary resources for civil space, commercial space, and military operations.
Our propulsion team has designed, manufactured, and tested multiple thrust chamber assemblies in the 1 lbf to 35,000 lbf thrust class range with a variety of propellant combinations, such as Peroxide/RP1, LOX/kerosene, LOX/propane, LOX/Hydrogen and N2O/propane.
Preparing and simulating every potential scenario in space, meticulously training for the first NASA mission, to resupply the International Space Station (ISS).
#SierraSpace #NASA #Space #TechnologySierra Space’s LIFE Habitat Successfully Completes Ultimate Burst Pressure TestSierra Space2022-09-13 | After successful completion of the Ultimate Burst Pressure Test with a one-third scale test article, Sierra Space becomes the only active commercial space company to meet threshold.
The test, which is the first of two sub-scale burst tests scheduled for 2022 in support of Sierra Space’s softgoods certification, used a one-third scale of Sierra Space’s LIFE inflatable habitat – which burst at 192 psi – exceeding the safety requirement of 182.4 psi. As a result, this stress test is among the highest publicly released data points for a softgoods UBP test at any scale.
We see space as the great equalizer. By enabling affordable access to space, we will empower existing and next generation businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers, and governments to create advancements meant to touch the lives of all.
Working with Spirit AeroSystems through a long-term partnership for the development of future Shooting Star Transport Vehicles, we will accelerate the commercialization of space and broaden access to tomorrow's space economy.
Watch as Shooting Star is prepped for electrical installation, soon to be a part of the CRS-2 mission to help NASA resupply the International Space Station.
#SierraSpace #DreamChaser #Tenacity #LEO #Innovation #Pioneers #SpaceSierra Space: Dreams Worth ChasingSierra Space2022-05-12 | At Sierra Space, we believe space should be for everyone. And that every country and community has a role to play in scientific innovation and participation in the new economies of the future. Because we believe most of all that even as we grow into a space faring generation, the real value we will create in space, is improving life on earth.
#SierraSpace #DreamChaser #Tenacity #LEO #Innovation #Pioneers #SpaceDream Chaser - TenacitySierra Space2022-05-03 | Dream Chaser, Tenacity, has undergone aeroshell and wing deployment system installation. Under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract, Dream Chaser will provide a minimum of six cargo service missions to and from the International Space Station.
#SierraSpace #DreamChaser #Tenacity #LEO #Innovation #Pioneers #SpaceMission: Tenacity - Our PurposeSierra Space2022-04-14 | We are dreamers. And like the pioneers that came before us - we have a tenacious spirit.
To make the impossible, possible, as we build Dream Chaser Tenacity and a new home for business and innovation in low Earth orbit.
#SierraSpace #DreamChaser #Tenacity #LEO #Innovation #Pioneers #SpaceDream Chaser Ground Support Equipment TestingSierra Space2022-03-25 | Sierra Space recently performed a test of ground support equipment with a mass simulator for the Dream Chaser spacecraft. The team practiced lifting and rotating the simulator in the Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for ground operations with the spacecraft over the course of several days.
NASA selected Sierra Space as one of three U.S. companies for the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract to launch cargo missions to the International Space Station. The spaceplane will fly back to Earth and land on the runway at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility, returning cargo from the station.
For an extended version of the time-lapse visit: go.nasa.gov/35aWi2g Video Credit: NASA