Siemens Digital Industries Software announced that Sierra Space, a commercial space company that focuses on creating and building space transportation and infrastructure for Low Earth orbit (LEO) commercialization, has implemented Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of software and services.
Siemens says its Xcelerator engineering software suite enables product and manufacturing design, while MBSE and digital thread capabilities ensure that data is accessible.
Sierra Space is implementing Xcelerator to establish a fully digital environment from engineering to manufacturing through sustainment as it develops its Dream Chaser “space plane”. The plane is a multi-mission utility vehicle designed to transport crew and cargo to low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations such as the International Space Station.
Sierra Space will use Siemens’ Xcelerator in all phases of next-generation Dream Chaser development, including structural, thermal, mechanical, electrical, and software design, vehicle manufacture, requirements verification and complete lifecycle maintenance.
The spaceplane is capable of a smooth 1.5 low-g re-entry for crew and cargo transportation with the ability to land on compatible existing commercial runways worldwide. NASA contracted Dream Chaser to perform cargo supply and return missions to the International Space Station (ISS), where it can deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo in a single trip. Sierra Space is expanding on this long-standing collaboration with Siemens as the company fully embraces the transformation to become a digital enterprise.
In addition to Dream Chaser, Sierra Space is also working to design, develop, build, operate, and support a customer-centric destination in Earth orbit. In partnership with Blue Origin, they have developed the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) habitat, a component in the Orbital Reef project. This modular, three-story commercial habitation and science platform and will provide opportunities for businesses including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and other sectors, to optimize zero gravity benefits. It can be deployed in low-Earth orbit, on the lunar surface, or lunar orbit and as a transport vehicle to Mars. Sierra Space will use Siemens’ Xcelerator in all phases of LIFE Habitat development and other space destination missions.
