LOUISVILLE, Colo. – Mar. 12, 2024 – Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and emerging defense tech prime building a platform in space to benefit and protect life on Earth, announced today the launch of Sierra Space Axelerator™, an innovation-at-speed incubator designed to fast-track the development of revolutionary defense technologies and mission solutions. Axelerator is set to redefine industry standards by delivering cutting-edge products with unprecedented efficiency.
Introducing Sierra Space Ghost: The Future of Space Retrieval
The first marvel to emerge from Axelerator is Sierra Space Ghost, 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.
Introducing Sierra Space Spectre: Revolutionizing Rendezvous and Proximity Operations
Sierra Space is also unveiling Spectre, a revolutionary satellite designed for precision rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). Sierra Space Spectre embodies the pinnacle of innovation, equipped to perform complex tasks in the challenging environment of space with unmatched accuracy and flexibility. Scheduled for launch in late 2025, Spectre is poised to set new benchmarks for satellite technology.
Introducing Sierra Black OS: A New Era of AI-Enabled Operating Systems
The third breakthrough announced today from Sierra Space’s Axelerator incubator is Sierra Black OS, an advanced AI-enabled operating system that will have the ability to operate across space, air and ground systems seamlessly. The inaugural release, STAR (Sierra Toolkit for Autonomous Rendezvous), an RPO software module, exemplifies the system’s capabilities, offering unparalleled operational intelligence and autonomy for space missions. Sierra Black OS and STAR are set to revolutionize how space operations are conducted.
“With Axelerator, Sierra Space is not just imagining the future. We are actively building it,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. “Our new products – Ghost, Spectre and Sierra Black OS – are a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and driving innovation at the speed of thought. We are proud to contribute to the defense sector with technologies that will shape the future for decades to come.”
The Axelerator incubator is part of Sierra Space’s Orbital Missions and Services group, founded in 2023 to focus on revolutionary new national security solutions. Since standing up the organization, Sierra Space has been awarded $1.3 billion in prime satellite constellations contracts. In January 2024, the company was awarded a $740 million prime contract by the Space Development Agency for 18 Tranche 2 satellites to accelerate the capabilities to provide global, persistent indications, detection, warning and tracking of conventional and advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems.
Sierra Space’s Orbital Missions and Services has started a new chapter in defense technology, one where innovation, speed, affordability and on-orbit schedule reliability converge to create overmatch capability. At a time when the adversaries of the United States and its allies are significantly increasing their hostile aggressions around the world, Sierra Space is dedicated to innovating at speed to accelerate affordable national security solutions.
About Sierra Space
Sierra Space is a leading 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 reinventing both space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only commercial spaceplane, and the future of space destinations with the company’s inflatable and expandable space station technology. Using commercial business models, the company is also delivering orbital services to commercial, DoD and national security organizations, expanding production capacity to meet the needs of constellation programs. In addition, Sierra Space builds 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.
Source: Sierra Space
