Author Topic: Sierra Nevada Corporation Enters Talks with the United Nations  (Read 23677 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

Somewhat surreal...

Sierra Nevada Corporation Enters Talks with the United Nations
on a Dedicated Dream Chaser® Spacecraft Mission

SPARKS, Nev. (June 28, 2016) – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding toward defining one or more Dream Chaser missions that will host payloads from member countries. SNC’s Dream Chaser is a reusable, orbital spacecraft designed to be a flexible Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) and transportation system for a variety of low-Earth orbit (LEO) missions.

Under the agreement, UNOOSA and SNC will work with member countries to develop an interface control document and payload hosting guide to allow payloads developed by participating countries to be hosted and operated on a dedicated mission, providing those countries affordable access to space.  By utilizing Dream Chaser as a flexible SUV for LEO missions, countries will benefit from social, economic and educational opportunities.

"SNC is honored to partner with UNOOSA under our Dream Chaser Global Initiative to offer access to space to a wide range of countries, from those with well-defined space programs and objectives, to developing countries who would like the social and economic benefits of a space program without the time and financial burden of developing the necessary infrastructure," said Mark N. Sirangelo, corporate vice president for SNC’s Space Systems business area. "Our vison, in partnership with the UN, is to provide UN member countries affordable access to space and a range of multi-mission opportunities using the Dream Chaser spacecraft to host a wide range of payloads. Countries will be able to customize their participation level commensurate with the maturity of their space capabilities and national desires, while engaging their universities, industrial companies and government laboratories, and most importantly, their people. We offer a complete turnkey solution for participants, providing not only the spacecraft, but all aspects of flight including mission planning and operations."

Recently selected to provide cargo delivery, return and disposal services for the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract, SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft is the only reusable, lifting-body, multi-mission-capable SUV with a commercial runway landing capability - anywhere in the world. The Dream Chaser is a safe, affordable, flexible and reliable system capable of crewed and uncrewed transportation services to LEO destinations such as the International Space Station.
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Offline Ben Hawes

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Not entirely sure how the UN can justify spending such money on something like this, but it is only a MOU and that's how far 99.9 percent of MOUs go. Gets the publicity.

Love Dream Chaser. Not a fan of MOUs.

Online catdlr

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For Reference:

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs web site

http://www.unoosa.org/
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Offline Rocket Science

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Anything that promotes the peaceful use of space is a good thing! :)
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
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Offline rayleighscatter

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Not entirely sure how the UN can justify spending such money on something like this, but it is only a MOU and that's how far 99.9 percent of MOUs go. Gets the publicity.

Love Dream Chaser. Not a fan of MOUs.
I can see the theory at least. And I don't think the UN would be acting as a financier but more as a facilitator bringing together experiments from various nations that have no other outlet for space research. I could even see a NASA/ESA/JAXA participation if it's orbit is offering something unique from ISS. A kind of UN organized LDEF.

It would be nice to see this lead to something, especially for nations without their own space programs currently.

Offline Astromark

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Somewhat surreal...

Sierra Nevada Corporation Enters Talks with the United Nations
on a Dedicated Dream Chaser® Spacecraft Mission



Would still be much cheaper than trying to start a space program from scratch. Should help SNC as well.

Offline john smith 19

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Would still be much cheaper than trying to start a space program from scratch. Should help SNC as well.
Exactly.

This BTW is very much in the spirit of the CCC plan, spreading the cost of SNC's internal work force across more missions than NASA could justify alone.

Outside Dragon and Soyuz DC will be the only vehicle that delivers down mass and the only one that can do so with relatively g forces.

The real challenge for this sort of concept is to make flights regular so developers can iterate hardware designs, progressively refining their systems based on prior results.

NASA's inability to do this was AFAIK a key factor in the failure of most space mfg efforts on the Shuttle.
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Offline ChrisWilson68

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It seems like yet another meaningless MOU from Sierra Nevada.  UNOOSA is probably thrilled to have anybody at all paying attention to them, so they're happy to sign a MOU.  UNOOSA is just another little body within the UN that nobody really cares much about and which accomplishes very little.  Really, if any country wants a ride on Dream Chaser or Cygnus or Dragon or CST-100, all they have to do is talk to the company that produces the vehicle.  This MOU doesn't make it any more likely some national government is actually going to choose Dream Chaser as opposed to some alternative.

Offline Rocket Science

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Chris, the sales and advertising industry is about 600 Billion worldwide to convince or make people aware that they need or could use their products or service. Why should SNC not do the same? After all Madison Avenue has made out pretty well using the concept... A deal either pans out or it doesn't, if you don't try you'll never know...
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Offline chrisking0997

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well, now we know how the UN will send up peacekeepers to enforce the OST
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Offline Robotbeat

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Does anyone else feel like we're slipping deeper and deeper into some kind of scifi novel?
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Offline Rocket Science

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Does anyone else feel like we're slipping deeper and deeper into some kind of scifi novel?
Forget the novel, I call dibs on the movie rights... ;)
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
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Offline MattMason

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Anything that promotes the peaceful use of space is a good thing! :)

Certainly apropos. The UN is not renowned for their fighting prowess.  ;)
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Offline ChrisWilson68

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Chris, the sales and advertising industry is about 600 Billion worldwide to convince or make people aware that they need or could use their products or service. Why should SNC not do the same? After all Madison Avenue has made out pretty well using the concept... A deal either pans out or it doesn't, if you don't try you'll never know...

They're free to say what they want in their press releases and I and others are free to criticize their press releases as implying more substance than is actually there.

In the space industry, SNC seems to do more of these announcements of misleading MOUs than their competition.  If SpaceX or Boeing started announcing meaningless MOUs, I'd criticize them for it too.


Offline MattMason

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Chris, the sales and advertising industry is about 600 Billion worldwide to convince or make people aware that they need or could use their products or service. Why should SNC not do the same? After all Madison Avenue has made out pretty well using the concept... A deal either pans out or it doesn't, if you don't try you'll never know...

They're free to say what they want in their press releases and I and others are free to criticize their press releases as implying more substance than is actually there.

In the space industry, SNC seems to do more of these announcements of misleading MOUs than their competition.  If SpaceX or Boeing started announcing meaningless MOUs, I'd criticize them for it too.

What do you think of similar announcements between Boeing with Bigelow Aerospace and Blue Origin?

But perhaps you're looking at the governmental significance versus how businesses tend (or not) to fulfill these general ideas by actually forming a project?
"Why is the logo on the side of a rocket so important?"
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Offline ChrisWilson68

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Chris, the sales and advertising industry is about 600 Billion worldwide to convince or make people aware that they need or could use their products or service. Why should SNC not do the same? After all Madison Avenue has made out pretty well using the concept... A deal either pans out or it doesn't, if you don't try you'll never know...

They're free to say what they want in their press releases and I and others are free to criticize their press releases as implying more substance than is actually there.

In the space industry, SNC seems to do more of these announcements of misleading MOUs than their competition.  If SpaceX or Boeing started announcing meaningless MOUs, I'd criticize them for it too.

What do you think of similar announcements between Boeing with Bigelow Aerospace and Blue Origin?

Bigelow also tends to do the same thing -- lots of meaningless announcements.  They're just as bad.

Offline Rocket Science

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Chris, the sales and advertising industry is about 600 Billion worldwide to convince or make people aware that they need or could use their products or service. Why should SNC not do the same? After all Madison Avenue has made out pretty well using the concept... A deal either pans out or it doesn't, if you don't try you'll never know...

They're free to say what they want in their press releases and I and others are free to criticize their press releases as implying more substance than is actually there.

In the space industry, SNC seems to do more of these announcements of misleading MOUs than their competition.  If SpaceX or Boeing started announcing meaningless MOUs, I'd criticize them for it too.
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Offline yg1968

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Offline bad_astra

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So Dream Chaser is the first spacecraft for Starfleet. Got it.
"Contact Light" -Buzz Aldrin

Offline Thorny

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So Dream Chaser is the first spacecraft for Starfleet. Got it.

Remember, Starfleet was part of the United Earth Space Probe Agency, at least in early Star Trek episodes...

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