Sierra Space LEO Space station

[redliox]

Angry Astronaut did a bit about Sierra's station with a nice emphasis on international cooperation:

[TrevorMonty]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

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[WmThomas]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

Says who? Sierra Space hasn't flown anything on their own dime. Dreamchaser development seems completely tied to the amount of NASA funding, and not speedy even then. I don't see why their space station ideas would get made any faster.

Blue Origin has Bezos' billions to back it. But it lacks focus and urgency. Look at the New Glenn program.

Do you know something I don't?

[TrevorMonty]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

Says who? Sierra Space hasn't flown anything on their own dime. Dreamchaser development seems completely tied to the amount of NASA funding, and not speedy even then. I don't see why their space station ideas would get made any faster.

Blue Origin has Bezos' billions to back it. But it lacks focus and urgency. Look at the New Glenn program.

Do you know something I don't?

Watch the video above.

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[deadman1204]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

Says who? Sierra Space hasn't flown anything on their own dime. Dreamchaser development seems completely tied to the amount of NASA funding, and not speedy even then. I don't see why their space station ideas would get made any faster.

Blue Origin has Bezos' billions to back it. But it lacks focus and urgency. Look at the New Glenn program.

Do you know something I don't?

Watch the video above.

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

Thats a 20 some minute video to answer a simple question. Can you provide a timestamp to something that says the project is fully funded?

[TrevorMonty]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

Says who? Sierra Space hasn't flown anything on their own dime. Dreamchaser development seems completely tied to the amount of NASA funding, and not speedy even then. I don't see why their space station ideas would get made any faster.

Blue Origin has Bezos' billions to back it. But it lacks focus and urgency. Look at the New Glenn program.

Do you know something I don't?

Watch the video above.

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

Thats a 20 some minute video to answer a simple question. Can you provide a timestamp to something that says the project is fully funded?

Not going back through it. SS raised $1.4B in their funding round.

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[yg1968]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

Says who? Sierra Space hasn't flown anything on their own dime. Dreamchaser development seems completely tied to the amount of NASA funding, and not speedy even then. I don't see why their space station ideas would get made any faster.

Blue Origin has Bezos' billions to back it. But it lacks focus and urgency. Look at the New Glenn program.

Do you know something I don't?

Watch the video above.

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

Thats a 20 some minute video to answer a simple question. Can you provide a timestamp to something that says the project is fully funded?

Not going back through it. SS raised $1.4B in their funding round.

Sent from my SM-T733 using Tapatalk

It doesn't say that it is fully funded. It mentions the $1.4B but that funding is also for crewed Dream Chaser (see the link below).

https://sierraspace.com/newsroom/press-releases/sierra-space-secures-record-1-4-billion-series-a-growth-investment-and-achieves-4-5-billion-valuation/

[yg1968]

Not everything that is mentioned in the video is accurate. For example, there is no international cooperation. If Blue wants services from foreign providers, it must pay for them. 

[yg1968]

Sounds like crew DC won't have windows in front. Don't need them for landing as screens with cameras and other sensors can do better job. Heat from reentry causes lot engineering headaches with front windows. Will still have windows in rear.

In the video, there is windows on the side. Incidentally, windows are a requirement for commercial crew certification. See pages 292-293:

The spacecraft shall provide optically uniform windows with optical performance properties

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26489.msg1650808#msg1650808

[su27k]

Sierra Space to work with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on commercial space station technologies

Sierra Space and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have signed an agreement to study collaboration on technologies to support a planned commercial space station.

The two companies announced March 17 a memorandum of understanding regarding collaboration on a “wide range of technologies” that could be used for Orbital Reef, a commercial space station announced last October with Sierra Space as one of the lead partners.

The companies did not elaborate on the technologies they will consider for Orbital Reef under the agreement. MHI does have extensive experience in International Space Station operations as the manufacturer of the Kibo laboratory module, which was installed on the station in 2008. The company also built the HTV cargo spacecraft and H-2 launch vehicle that launched those spacecraft to the station.

[deadman1204]

Between Sierra Space and Blue this space station is fully funded. They push a head with it regardless of NASA funding.

Says who? Sierra Space hasn't flown anything on their own dime. Dreamchaser development seems completely tied to the amount of NASA funding, and not speedy even then. I don't see why their space station ideas would get made any faster.

Blue Origin has Bezos' billions to back it. But it lacks focus and urgency. Look at the New Glenn program.

Do you know something I don't?

Watch the video above.

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

Thats a 20 some minute video to answer a simple question. Can you provide a timestamp to something that says the project is fully funded?

Not going back through it. SS raised $1.4B in their funding round.

Sent from my SM-T733 using Tapatalk

So you are making crap up then? Cause a funding round has NOTHING to do with a fully funded station. Thats peanuts.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://www.sierraspace.com/newsroom/press-releases/sierra-space-and-blue-origin-successfully-complete-orbital-reef-system-definition-review/

Sierra Space and Blue Origin Successfully Complete Orbital Reef System Definition Review
AUGUST 22, 2022

Orbital Reef Space Station Advances to Design Phase After NASA Review

LOUISVILLE, Colo. and KENT, Wash. – August 22, 2022 – The Orbital Reef team, led by partners Sierra Space and Blue Origin, has successfully completed its System Definition Review (SDR) with NASA.

The SDR is an important program milestone to establish the functional baseline for Orbital Reef, a commercially developed, owned and operated space station to be built in low-Earth orbit (LEO). It demonstrates to NASA that the space station design is feasible and achievable while validating that the Orbital Reef system is on-track to proceed into the design phase.

The Orbital Reef team, including Amazon Supply Chain, Amazon Web Services, Arizona State University, Boeing, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Redwire Space, is maturing the design of its space station in partnership with NASA under the agency’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development (CLDP) program. NASA awarded the agreement in December 2021 to shift NASA’s research and exploration activities in LEO to commercial space stations and help stimulate a growing space economy.

The SDR included an extensive review to ensure that the proposed Orbital Reef architecture is responsive to the functional and performance requirements; it examined the proposed system architecture and the flow-down to all functional elements of the Orbital Reef system. The successful SDR supported NASA’s decision to further develop the system architecture and design. Representatives from Blue Origin, Sierra Space, team members, and NASA participated in the review, conducted between mid-June and mid-July to allow in-depth review of documentation and feedback to the team.

“We are on the doorstep of the most profound industrial revolution in human history. An industrial revolution marked by the transition from the last 60 years of space exploration to a future where humanity extends our factories and cities into space. It isn’t solely about tourism – it is about unlocking the next great discoveries using the microgravity factories that we will build just 250 miles above the Earth’s surface,” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space. “The microgravity factories and services provided by Orbital Reef have the potential to revolutionize every industry and become a major growth contributor to the U.S. and world economies.”

“This SDR moves Orbital Reef forward,” said Brent Sherwood, Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs at Blue Origin. “We are meeting the needs of both the commercial marketplace and NASA’s requirements. Orbital Reef will change the game for human space flight in Earth orbit.”

Orbital Reef will open the next chapter of human space exploration and development by facilitating the growth of a vibrant ecosystem and business model for the future. Designed to open multiple new markets in space, Orbital Reef will provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address in orbit. This unique destination will offer research, industrial, international, and commercial customers the cost competitive end-to-end services they need including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment accommodation and operations including onboard crew. The station is expected to be operational by 2027.

For more information, visit www.orbitalreef.com.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1569698118794465285

Sierra Space completed a burst pressure test of a one-third scale version of its inflatable LIFE habitat:



https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220913005422/en/Sierra-Space’s-LIFE™-Habitat-Completes-Successful-Ultimate-Burst-Pressure-Test

[Asteroza]

Design safety pressure 182.4 PSI, burst at 192. Looks like hemisphere/cylinder join line broke? Plus the stand jumping loose is a little scary...

[Robotbeat]

I mean this thing shouldn’t ever see more than sea level pressure, so this is a rather-excessive factor of safety of 13 (depending on how you wish to define 13).

Not that the restraint layer ends up being the bulk of the weight or cost anyway. But kind of interesting.

[Rondaz]

Watch Sierra Space's LIFE habitat burst in pressure test

[Lampyridae]

So you are making crap up then? Cause a funding round has NOTHING to do with a fully funded station. Thats peanuts.

I'm not going to dig through the video for the specifics, but that is exactly how funding rounds work. New products don't appear out of thin air and need far more than your revenue stream to get off the ground.

Even for a mature company like Sierra, $1.4 billion is a huge amount of funding. It's equivalent to half their pre-funding round valuation. And it's a Series A funding round, which is typically ~$10 million for most tech companies. Normally only companies like Boeing can pull in $1 billion+, usually piggybacking off of government pork. Sierra has made significant progress over the years with NASA funding and may be very close to a flyable Dragon competitor.

By the way, this burst test is also partly why they can secure this Series A funding. They're showing potential investors, just like in Dragon's Den, that they have a good potential product. But the Series A funding looks like it's earmarked for Dreamchaser development, which seems sound: a revenue generating vehicle, which will fund the next expansion which will probably be the space station.

*There's also debt financing, basically bond issuing, and most company expansions strike their own balance between the two. That can get you a LOT of funding, at 2:1 that would create a valuation of $13.5bn. Which is plenty enough to finish developing a spacecraft that was initially designed for crew and generate income. Even if your name is Boeing.

[yg1968]

Why NASA blew up a space habitat in Texas:
https://mashable.com/article/nasa-space-habitat-blue-origin-inflatable

[JAFO]

Thanks. I had to let my L2 subscription lapse, they raised the prices on Rotax 914s and it’s almost time to buy one.

Not going for the 915is?  I hear they're only a few centuries worth of L2 subscription funds.

That's Steve Lindsey on the left.

[thread drift] [/thread drift]

[JAFO]

Thanks. I had to let my L2 subscription lapse, they raised the prices on Rotax 914s and it’s almost time to buy one.

That's Steve Lindsey on the left.

About a year ago I flew with a guy who saw the Dream Chaser sticker on my flight bag (You know you're a Space Geek when...) and played innocent, asking me a bunch of questions about it before divulging that he knew Steve pretty well. I damn near begged him to give me Steve's contact info, but smartly refused. Said despite knowing Steve, he had not been able to get in and see DC, either.