Sierra Space goes for all orbits
Sierra Space on April 5 announced a trio of satellite platforms meant to meet the needs of any orbit. The news follows three months after the company won a marquee contract to provide 18 LEO missile-warning satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency, signaling a return to high-volume manufacturing after more than a decade (Orbcomm Gen 2).
The new Eclipse platforms (Velocity on the small end, Horizon for middleweights, and the self-described Titan at the heavy end), mark two notable changes: a shift away from an intense focus on Medium Earth Orbit, and an increased appetite for commercial sales.
• Less MEO, more everything else. Less than four years ago, Sierra Space (then Sierra Nevada Corp.) released satellite platform duo mainly geared towards MEO. That’s not a huge market – just GPS, the rare communications network, and some military sensors – and there was little to show for the effort. Sierra Space’s new line up appears to be a shift towards greater versatility with options for all orbits. Eclipse Titan, the largest platform, bears strong visual similarity to Sierra’s older SN-1000, including a heavy emphasis on an ESPA ring core.
• Implications for industry. Sierra Space is experiencing a rebirth in satellite sales and is expanding from defense into commercial (and potentially civil space), a move that could transform the company into an emerging competitor for many smallsat manufacturers. Comparing the company’s 2020 platforms announcement to today’s, Sierra Space used the word “commercial” eight times in its April 5 announcement, compared to only twice during the 2020 news (and both were in the company description blurb). Satellite manufacturers often seek to smooth out lumpy business through diversifying customer sets. For Sierra Space to do so, that means more competition among small satellite providers like York, Airbus (FKA the AOS JV), and Rocket Lab. In the commercial small GEO space, that could also mean competition with Astranis, Swissto12, and Terran Orbital.
• Lingering MEO opportunity? Larger aperture notwithstanding, Sierra Space is likely still eyeing opportunities in MEO, especially since the Space Force wants new missile tracking satellites there. That puts the company in the ring with L3Harris, Millenium, and RTX. The Space Force is also studying smaller, cheaper GPS satellites, which could present another opportunity should it transition to a proliferated architecture in future years.
SOURCE: https://www.sierraspace.com/newsroom/press-releases/sierra-space-unveils-the-revolutionary-eclipse-satellite-bus-line-introducing-velocity-horizon-and-titan/