WASHINGTON -- The space infrastructure company Sierra Space announced on October 3 that it has secured backing from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to advance its 'Ghost' spacecraft, a system designed to deliver cargo from space to any location on Earth in under 90 minutes.
Known for developing space habitats and vehicles like the Dream Chaser spaceplane, Sierra Space won a contract of undisclosed value as part of the AFRL's Rocket Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics (REGAL) program. The Air Force is exploring the potential of space vehicles to rapidly transport critical supplies from orbital warehouses back to Earth, including reusable reentry vehicles capable of delivering payloads from prepositioned stocks in orbit.
Sierra Space, based in Louisville, Colorado, stated that its defense technology team designed the Ghost system to remain in orbit for up to five years, storing and delivering essential supplies on-demand. Once fully developed, the spacecraft could be used for missions such as delivering rescue kits for downed pilots, medical supplies for disaster relief, or logistical support for military operations.
The company reported successful drop tests earlier this year at Florida's Kennedy Space Center and plans further testing over the next year to refine concepts of operations and develop the necessary infrastructure.
'Sierra Space and AFRL want to bridge the gap between current small payload return capabilities to higher tonnage down-mass systems,' the company said in a statement.
Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space, called the Air Force contract a 'significant leap forward' in logistics capabilities for defense applications. 'This partnership allows us to expand the Sierra Space Ghost into a larger form factor, ready for critical defense missions,' he said.
According to the company, each Ghost vehicle costs 'tens of millions' of dollars to build, and they are working to reduce the cost to 'single-digit millions' per unit.