Sierra Nevada mum on if space spin-off will be headquartered in Louisville

SPARKS, Nev. — Sierra Nevada Corp. is spinning off its Colorado-based space business into a subsidiary called Sierra Space, but it’s unclear whether the new entity will be headquartered in Louisville, which has long been home to the company’s space manufacturing and operations center.

“We will still continue to build the Dream Chaser here and have a big Colorado presence and expect significant job growth,” SNC spokeswoman Kimberly Schwandt told BizWest in an email.

But Schwandt didn’t directly address a question about whether Louisville will be Sierra Space’s headquarters, saying only that “details on official HQ will be announced in the coming months.”

The Dream Chaser is SNC’s spaceplane, which is expected to be used to resupply the International Space Station starting next year. 

Sierra Space, led by Eren and Fatih Ozmen, starts its life as an SNC subsidiary with $3 billion in contracts in the pipeline and anticipates revenues to exceed $4 billion within a decade, according to a company news release. 

“Sierra Space is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities within the space market driven by our deep operating history of more than 30 years, coupled with long-standing partnerships with blue-chip customers,” SNC CEO and co-owner Fatih Ozmen said in the release. “In this fast-growing and competitive marketplace, the SNC robust contracts profile and expanding backlog provide valuable tailwinds and momentum.”

In addition to the Dream Chaser, Sierra Space is also developing LIFE Habitats, an inflatable structure that can house as many as four astronauts on long-duration space missions.

SNC has remained mostly quiet about Sierra Space’s fundraising and capitalization strategy but said the subsidiary “will have the independence to seek creative partnerships and market opportunities to scale its growth quickly and capitalize on a fast-growing and competitive marketplace.”

SNC expanded its Louisville presence in 2017, taking over 101,000 square feet of additional industrial space at the Colorado Technology Center. At that time, BizWest reported that the local division employed 443 workers and planned to hire another 400.

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