SpaceDev
Encyclopedia
SpaceDev, a part of the "Space Systems Business" of Sierra Nevada Corporation
, is prominent for its spaceflight
and microsatellite work. It designed and built the hybrid rocket
motors for Paul Allen's Tier One
suborbital SpaceShipOne space program operated by Scaled Composites
. It is also developing micro- and nano-satellites, a small expendable launch vehicle, the SpaceDev Streaker, and has designed a piloted suborbital and orbital spaceship of its own, the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
, in collaboration with NASA
.
SpaceDev is based near San Diego in Poway, California
. Its objective is to make routine commercial spaceflight possible and to help open space for all of humanity.
Previously a publicly traded company (OTCBB:SPDV), on 20 October 2008 SpaceDev officials announced that the company would be acquired by Sierra Nevada Corporation
, a privately-owned company. The announced acquisition price was 38 million dollars. The role of SpaceDev will be melded into another of Sierra Nevada's subsidiary companies, MicroSat, to create a more complete space technology
unit. On December 16, 2008 SpaceDev announced its acquisition by Sierra Nevada Corporation had been completed.
(AMROC).
On August 6, 1998 the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
filed an administrative proceeding alleging securities fraud against Spacedev Inc. According to the SEC, Spacedev promotes itself extensively on the Internet. The SEC alleged that the company made false and misleading statements over the Internet and via other media in violation of U.S. securities laws in an attempt to increase its stock value. The SEC was seeking cease and desist orders against Spacedev and its chairman, James W. Benson. A settlement was reached between the SEC, Spacedev and James W. Benson. The settlement states that the SEC was founded in its allegations and SpaceDev cease and desist from committing or causing violations or future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; and Mr. Benson cease and desist from committing or causing violations or future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.
The company's first big project was to be the Near Earth Asteroid Prospector, or NEAP, a small innovative commercial spacecraft mission that would have rendezvoused with and landed on a Near Earth Asteroid (NEO), conducted scientific experiments, and claimed the asteroid as private property. As it turned out however, the company's first success would come a little closer to home, in the form of CHIPSat
http://chips.ssl.berkeley.edu/, the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer microsatellite. SpaceDev built and conducted early orbit operations of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsat, the first to use only the Internet for its communications, for University of California at Berkeley under NASA's University Explorer Program (UNEX). This was followed one year later by supplying the rocket motors that propelled SpaceShipOne into the history books by creating the world's first civilian astronauts and helping Paul Allen
win the $10 million Ansari X Prize
.
On October 26, 2005 SpaceDev announced that Starsys Research Corporation of Boulder, Colorado
would merge with SpaceDev, which would provide SpaceDev with additional expertise and experience with microsatellite
technologies. The acquisition of Starsys on January 31, 2006 put the number of SpaceDev employees over 200, located in three states. The Starsys division is being groomed to become a center of space robotics for SpaceDev. Over 18 years Starsys developed and delivered 2,000 space mechanisms that have flown on over 200 missions, all successfully. SpaceDev has most or all of the moving parts on Mars at this time, had mechanisms on Deep Impact, is supplying the separation system and docking mechanism for the soon to be launched Orbital Express, and has mechanisms on the way to Pluto.
On September 28, 2006, SpaceDev announced that founder and CEO Jim Benson was stepping down to start a new space tourism
venture, Benson Space Company (BSC). BSC expects to be one of SpaceDev's largest customers, purchasing multiple Dream Chaser spaceships and safe hybrid rocket motors for use in personal spaceflight. Benson died on 10 October 2008, of a brain tumor.
vehicle, both based on NASA's HL-20 "Personnel Launch System" or "Space Taxi". SpaceDev's suborbital Dream Chaser will use internal hybrid rocket
motors similar to those SpaceDev developed for Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne, while the orbital version will use the internal motors plus larger external hybrid motors. SpaceDev's hybrid rocket technology was pioneered by the American Rocket Company, or AmRoc.
On May 5, 2006, SpaceDev announced it was selected as a finalist in NASA's $500 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
(COTS) demonstration program. SpaceDev has been working with NASA Ames to design a modern version of the NASA HL-20 Personnel Launch System, called the SpaceDev Dream Chaser. However, on August 18, 2006 it was revealed that SpaceDev did not win the contract.
On December 18, 2006, SpaceDev announced that it has been awarded a $330,000 Phase I study contract from Benson Space Company to further the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
spaceship program. The study will contribute to the on-going development of the spaceship and will result in space vehicle and rocket motor designs ready for Phase II vehicle fabrication and testing. The SpaceDev Dream Chaser
spaceship is based on NASA’s design of the ten passenger orbital HL-20 Personnel Launch System, and will launch vertically and land horizontally in direct sight of viewers.
On April 10, 2007, SpaceDev announced that it had finalized a Memorandum of Understanding with United Launch Alliance
on exploring the potential of launching the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
spaceship using an Atlas V
431, (having a four meter diameter fairing, three solid rocket boosters, and a single Centaur engine in the second stage). Destinations could include the International Space Station
(ISS) and other commercial orbital destinations as well as for commercial orbital space tourism flights.
On February 1, 2010, NASA announced a $20 million award to Sierra Nevada, to go toward development of the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
, which could be ready for launch by 2014 on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V
rocket, according Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president for Sierra Nevada's space systems division.
for its Jumpstart mission. Trailblazer was a microsatellite developed under a Missile Defense Agency
contract. After being launched Trailblazer would have collected image data and communicated with a ground station.
Trailblazer was the primary payload for the third attempted flight of a Falcon 1
launch vehicle. The launch was attempted on 2008-08-03 and ended in failure, with loss of both vehicle and payload.
TrailBlazer was researched, designed, assembled, tested and packed for shipping almost entirely at the Poway SpaceDev location. With a team of about 25 employees working around the clock, the satellite was assembled and ready for launch in just under 4 months, thus meeting their advanced deadline, winning their opportunity for launch and as far as anyone else is able to substantiate, now holds the record for assembly of a launched spacecraft.
Sierra Nevada Corporation
Sierra Nevada Corporation is an electronic systems provider and systems integrator specializing in microsatellites, energy, telemedicine, nanotechnology, and commercial orbital transportation services. The company contracts with the US military, NASA and private spaceflight companies. The company...
, is prominent for its spaceflight
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
and microsatellite work. It designed and built the hybrid rocket
Hybrid rocket
A hybrid rocket is a rocket with a rocket motor which uses propellants in two different states of matter - one solid and the other either gas or liquid. The Hybrid rocket concept can be traced back at least 75 years....
motors for Paul Allen's Tier One
Tier One
Tier One is Scaled Composites' program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. The craft was designed by Burt Rutan, and the project is funded 20 million US Dollars by Paul Allen...
suborbital SpaceShipOne space program operated by Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites is an aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman that is located at the Mojave Spaceport, Mojave, California, United States...
. It is also developing micro- and nano-satellites, a small expendable launch vehicle, the SpaceDev Streaker, and has designed a piloted suborbital and orbital spaceship of its own, the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
SpaceDev Dream Chaser
The Dream Chaser is a crewed suborbital and orbital vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing lifting-body spaceplane being developed by SpaceDev, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation . The Dream Chaser design is planned to carry seven people to and from low earth orbit...
, in collaboration with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
SpaceDev is based near San Diego in Poway, California
Poway, California
Poway is a city in San Diego County, California. Originally an unincorporated community in San Diego County, Poway officially became a city in December 1980. Even though Poway lies geographically in the middle of San Diego County, most consider its relative location as north county inland...
. Its objective is to make routine commercial spaceflight possible and to help open space for all of humanity.
Previously a publicly traded company (OTCBB:SPDV), on 20 October 2008 SpaceDev officials announced that the company would be acquired by Sierra Nevada Corporation
Sierra Nevada Corporation
Sierra Nevada Corporation is an electronic systems provider and systems integrator specializing in microsatellites, energy, telemedicine, nanotechnology, and commercial orbital transportation services. The company contracts with the US military, NASA and private spaceflight companies. The company...
, a privately-owned company. The announced acquisition price was 38 million dollars. The role of SpaceDev will be melded into another of Sierra Nevada's subsidiary companies, MicroSat, to create a more complete space technology
Space technology
Space technology is technology that is related to entering, and retrieving objects or life forms from space."Every day" technologies such as weather forecasting, remote sensing, GPS systems, satellite television, and some long distance communications systems critically rely on space infrastructure...
unit. On December 16, 2008 SpaceDev announced its acquisition by Sierra Nevada Corporation had been completed.
History
SpaceDev was founded in 1997 by Jim Benson, who acquired Integrated Space Systems of Southern California and merged it with a defunct publicly traded corporate shell to create the publicly traded SpaceDev. For a while, SpaceDev also owned UK-based Space Innovations Limited. In August 1998 SpaceDev acquired all patents, intellectual property, test results, and documents that had been produced by the out of business American Rocket CompanyAmerican Rocket Company
Founded in 1985 by George Koopman, Bevin McKinney and Jim Bennett, veterans of Starstruck , the American Rocket Company, or AMROC, was a company that developed hybrid rocket motors....
(AMROC).
On August 6, 1998 the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is a federal agency which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States...
filed an administrative proceeding alleging securities fraud against Spacedev Inc. According to the SEC, Spacedev promotes itself extensively on the Internet. The SEC alleged that the company made false and misleading statements over the Internet and via other media in violation of U.S. securities laws in an attempt to increase its stock value. The SEC was seeking cease and desist orders against Spacedev and its chairman, James W. Benson. A settlement was reached between the SEC, Spacedev and James W. Benson. The settlement states that the SEC was founded in its allegations and SpaceDev cease and desist from committing or causing violations or future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; and Mr. Benson cease and desist from committing or causing violations or future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.
The company's first big project was to be the Near Earth Asteroid Prospector, or NEAP, a small innovative commercial spacecraft mission that would have rendezvoused with and landed on a Near Earth Asteroid (NEO), conducted scientific experiments, and claimed the asteroid as private property. As it turned out however, the company's first success would come a little closer to home, in the form of CHIPSat
CHIPSat
CHIPSat is a now-decommissioned, but still-orbiting, microsatellite. It was launched on January 12, 2003 from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Delta II with the larger ICESat, and had an intended mission duration of one year...
http://chips.ssl.berkeley.edu/, the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer microsatellite. SpaceDev built and conducted early orbit operations of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsat, the first to use only the Internet for its communications, for University of California at Berkeley under NASA's University Explorer Program (UNEX). This was followed one year later by supplying the rocket motors that propelled SpaceShipOne into the history books by creating the world's first civilian astronauts and helping Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
win the $10 million Ansari X Prize
Ansari X Prize
The Ansari X Prize was a space competition in which the X Prize Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks...
.
On October 26, 2005 SpaceDev announced that Starsys Research Corporation of Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
would merge with SpaceDev, which would provide SpaceDev with additional expertise and experience with microsatellite
Miniaturized satellite
Miniaturized satellites or small satellites are artificial satellites of unusually low weights and small sizes, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as small satellites, different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass .One reason for miniaturizing...
technologies. The acquisition of Starsys on January 31, 2006 put the number of SpaceDev employees over 200, located in three states. The Starsys division is being groomed to become a center of space robotics for SpaceDev. Over 18 years Starsys developed and delivered 2,000 space mechanisms that have flown on over 200 missions, all successfully. SpaceDev has most or all of the moving parts on Mars at this time, had mechanisms on Deep Impact, is supplying the separation system and docking mechanism for the soon to be launched Orbital Express, and has mechanisms on the way to Pluto.
On September 28, 2006, SpaceDev announced that founder and CEO Jim Benson was stepping down to start a new space tourism
Space tourism
Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
venture, Benson Space Company (BSC). BSC expects to be one of SpaceDev's largest customers, purchasing multiple Dream Chaser spaceships and safe hybrid rocket motors for use in personal spaceflight. Benson died on 10 October 2008, of a brain tumor.
Dream Chaser
On November 16, 2005 SpaceDev announced its Dream Chaser concept for a four passenger sub-orbital and a six passenger orbitalOrbital spaceflight
An orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory where it could remain in space for at least one orbit. To do this around the Earth, it must be on a free trajectory which has an altitude at perigee above...
vehicle, both based on NASA's HL-20 "Personnel Launch System" or "Space Taxi". SpaceDev's suborbital Dream Chaser will use internal hybrid rocket
Hybrid rocket
A hybrid rocket is a rocket with a rocket motor which uses propellants in two different states of matter - one solid and the other either gas or liquid. The Hybrid rocket concept can be traced back at least 75 years....
motors similar to those SpaceDev developed for Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne, while the orbital version will use the internal motors plus larger external hybrid motors. SpaceDev's hybrid rocket technology was pioneered by the American Rocket Company, or AmRoc.
On May 5, 2006, SpaceDev announced it was selected as a finalist in NASA's $500 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a NASA program to coordinate the delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station by private companies. The program was announced on January 18, 2006...
(COTS) demonstration program. SpaceDev has been working with NASA Ames to design a modern version of the NASA HL-20 Personnel Launch System, called the SpaceDev Dream Chaser. However, on August 18, 2006 it was revealed that SpaceDev did not win the contract.
On December 18, 2006, SpaceDev announced that it has been awarded a $330,000 Phase I study contract from Benson Space Company to further the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
SpaceDev Dream Chaser
The Dream Chaser is a crewed suborbital and orbital vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing lifting-body spaceplane being developed by SpaceDev, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation . The Dream Chaser design is planned to carry seven people to and from low earth orbit...
spaceship program. The study will contribute to the on-going development of the spaceship and will result in space vehicle and rocket motor designs ready for Phase II vehicle fabrication and testing. The SpaceDev Dream Chaser
SpaceDev Dream Chaser
The Dream Chaser is a crewed suborbital and orbital vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing lifting-body spaceplane being developed by SpaceDev, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation . The Dream Chaser design is planned to carry seven people to and from low earth orbit...
spaceship is based on NASA’s design of the ten passenger orbital HL-20 Personnel Launch System, and will launch vertically and land horizontally in direct sight of viewers.
On April 10, 2007, SpaceDev announced that it had finalized a Memorandum of Understanding with United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. U.S...
on exploring the potential of launching the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
SpaceDev Dream Chaser
The Dream Chaser is a crewed suborbital and orbital vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing lifting-body spaceplane being developed by SpaceDev, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation . The Dream Chaser design is planned to carry seven people to and from low earth orbit...
spaceship using an Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
431, (having a four meter diameter fairing, three solid rocket boosters, and a single Centaur engine in the second stage). Destinations could include the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS) and other commercial orbital destinations as well as for commercial orbital space tourism flights.
On February 1, 2010, NASA announced a $20 million award to Sierra Nevada, to go toward development of the SpaceDev Dream Chaser
SpaceDev Dream Chaser
The Dream Chaser is a crewed suborbital and orbital vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing lifting-body spaceplane being developed by SpaceDev, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation . The Dream Chaser design is planned to carry seven people to and from low earth orbit...
, which could be ready for launch by 2014 on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
rocket, according Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president for Sierra Nevada's space systems division.
Trailblazer
SpaceDev manufactured the Trailblazer satellite selected by the Operationally Responsive Space OfficeOperationally Responsive Space Office
The Operationally Responsive Space Office is a joint initiative of several agencies within the United States Department of Defense . The "stand up" of the office took place 2007-05-21 at Kirtland Air Force Base. The first director of the ORS Office is Col. Kevin McLaughlin, who is also commander...
for its Jumpstart mission. Trailblazer was a microsatellite developed under a Missile Defense Agency
Missile Defense Agency
The Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...
contract. After being launched Trailblazer would have collected image data and communicated with a ground station.
Trailblazer was the primary payload for the third attempted flight of a Falcon 1
Falcon 1
The Falcon 1 is a partially reusable launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX, a space transportation company in Hawthorne, California. The two-stage-to-orbit rocket uses LOX/RP-1 for both stages, the first powered by a single Merlin engine and the second powered by a single Kestrel engine...
launch vehicle. The launch was attempted on 2008-08-03 and ended in failure, with loss of both vehicle and payload.
TrailBlazer was researched, designed, assembled, tested and packed for shipping almost entirely at the Poway SpaceDev location. With a team of about 25 employees working around the clock, the satellite was assembled and ready for launch in just under 4 months, thus meeting their advanced deadline, winning their opportunity for launch and as far as anyone else is able to substantiate, now holds the record for assembly of a launched spacecraft.