Sierra Space recently won a big contract to build military satellites, and now they want to expand their presence in the national security market by offering new services like in-orbit services and transportation.
Sierra Space is most famous for making the Dream Chaser, a reusable spaceplane for carrying supplies to the International Space Station, and for working with Blue Origin on a commercial space station. Dream Chaser, a reusable spaceplane designed to ferry cargo and supplies to the International Space Station, and for partnering with Blue Origin on the construction of a commercially developed space station.
But the company also is gaining traction in the national security space business, with $1.3 billion worth of defense-related orders, Erik Daehler, Sierra Space’s vice president of orbital systems and services, told SpaceNews.
Daehler, who previously worked at defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing, is overseeing the transition of Sierra Space’s orbital vehicle technologies from their civil and commercial roots into militarized configurations to support defense operations.
The company’s $1.3 billion defense backlog includes a $740 million deal announced in January to produce 18 missile-tracking satellites for the U.S. Space Force’s next-generation missile-tracking satellite network built by the Space Development Agency.
Other orders are from undisclosed defense customers, Daehler said. “We have active contracts with major acquisition organizations.”
Opportunities in ‘SAML’
Founded in 2021 as a spinoff from Sierra Nevada Corporation, Sierra Space has sought to carve out a niche as a new space company that serves both commercial and government customers. The company is looking at the emerging market for “space access, mobility and logistics” known as SAML, which has $40 million set aside for it in the Space Force’s 2025 budget proposal.
To meet the military's anticipated need for SAML services, Sierra Space has developed a satellite capable of precise rendezvous and close-proximity operations around other spacecraft. The company is presenting this vehicle to the Space Force as a way to provide in-orbit services like refueling and maintenance of military satellites.
Sierra Space is also working on a return capsule that can bring cargo from space and land safely back on Earth. Together with the U.S. Transportation Command, the company is exploring how this vehicle could enable fast point-to-point delivery of supplies and equipment to support military operations or humanitarian relief efforts worldwide.
To support the development of these space vehicles for the defense market, Sierra Space set up a specialized test lab in Florida to design, build, and test the new technologies. The company is based in Louisville, Colorado.
Servicing robot
The idea for Sierra Space’s in-orbit servicing vehicle, named Spectre, came from the need to automate maintenance tasks at the International Space Station, which are currently done by astronauts or cosmonauts but will be taken over by robotic systems on future commercial space stations, according to Daehler.
The concept of a return capsule, called Ghost, was created in response to requests from customers who want to work on the future commercial space station. They wanted a way to develop technology in space and bring it back to Earth for testing and inspection. The capsule can carry around 250 to 700 kilograms of cargo and land safely on Earth.
Daehler mentioned that the company plans to demonstrate the Spectre vehicle in orbit in 2025 or 2026. They are offering it as a product for the U.S. government to own and operate, and they have also offered it as a service for government customers to purchase.
The company, which has a defense backlog of $1.3 billion, is looking at opportunities for providing services and transportation vehicles in orbit.
