Will become an important player in aerospace commercialization
According to Bussinesswire and Forbes, Sierra Nevada’s commercial aerospace subsidiary announced on November 19 that it has received a US$1.4 billion investment. The Series A round, the company’s first, is said to be the second-largest private placement ever in the global aerospace and defense sector.
This round of financing was led by General Atlantic, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures, with participation from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Private Equity Partners, AE Industrial Partners and some family offices. With this funding round, the company's valuation reaches $4.5 billion.
Picture taken from the company's official website
SierraSpace was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Colorado. It currently has 1,100 employees and has performed more than 500 space missions. The company's CEO Tom Vice said the company hopes to build the next generation of space transportation systems and space infrastructure and destinations to enable humans to establish and maintain civilization beyond Earth. SierraSpace is also building a new platform for business, and in the unique environment of space, it will promote new breakthroughs in key fields such as medicine, semiconductors, optical fiber and energy.
SierraSpace’s goal seems to be greater than just success in the defense or commercial fields. Its official website expresses this vision: “We envision a future where humans are in space, satellites, and distant planets. Live and work. People get married, children are born, families grow, businesses are built, and new civilizations flourish.
It is reported that the funds will be used to accelerate the development of the company’s Dream Chaser space plane. "Dream Chaser is a recyclable winged spacecraft with 1.5g low-G return technology and can land on commercial runways around the world. It currently has a multi-billion dollar contract with NASA. The cargo replenishment mission to the International Space Station will begin at the end of 2022.
The "Dream Chaser Space Plane" will also be used to support the company's large-scale integrated flexible environment habitat. It is an inflatable modular orbital station that can provide services including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment space and on-board personnel operations for scientific research and commercial research and development.
"Dream Chaser and LIFE are both part of OrbitalReef, a new commercial space station developed by SierraSpace in partnership with Blue Origin and others. OrbitalReef is the latest step in the commercialization of space, as the International Space Station will Nearing the end of its service life, NASA has been actively encouraging this trend. It is reported that this commercial space station will enter orbit and start operating and generate revenue in 2027.
OrbitalReef Commercial Space Station
< p>Space is destined to become one of the key areas for future capital investment. Morgan Stanley estimates that the space economy is worth approximately US$350 billion and will grow to more than US$1 trillion by 2040. According to research from General Atlantic, Commercial launches will increase dramatically from 114 test launches in 2020, or to a rate of 2 per weekIn recent years, such as Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Billionaires such as Elon Musk are betting on building commercial companies in the space field, expanding people's imagination beyond the sky, and SierraSpace will undoubtedly become an important player in the future of commercial space. Companies including , , .