LOUISVILLE — Louisville’s Sierra Space Corp., a spinoff from Sierra Nevada Corp. that is developing the Dream Chaser space plane, has entered into a strategic partnership with Spirit AeroSystems Inc. (NYSE: SPR) to build Shooting Star transport vehicles, a 15-foot transport vehicle that attaches to the rear of the space plane and can tow up to 10,000 pounds of cargo.

“Working with Spirit Defense & Space, we will broaden access to tomorrow’s space economy, lowering the cost of entry and increasing the speed to market of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser franchise. Together we will accelerate the commercialization of space,” Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice said in a prepared statement. 

Together, the companies will work to improve the Shooting Star’s “cargo module system to advance a family of cargo and service modules for on-orbit services,” Sierra Space said in a news release. 

The partnership comes on the heels of the 2021 closing of its first fundraising campaign, a round that raised $1.4 billion. 

The round represented the largest aerospace and defense capital raise globally in 2021, second-largest private capital raise globally in the aerospace and defense sector ever, according to SSC. 

Funding is being used to support the development of SSC’s two main aerospace projects: the Dream Chaser space plane, which is expected to be used to resupply the International Space Station starting next year, and the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) Habitat, a modular, three-story commercial habitation, business and science platform.