CEO Tom Vice leaves Sierra Space

LOUISVILLE — The leader of Sierra Space Corp., a Louisville-based aerospace company with a $5 billion valuation, has suddenly stepped down.

“After three and half years in the role, Tom Vice has retired as Sierra Space CEO as of the end of 2024 — we thank him for his leadership and wish him well in his retirement,” a company spokesperson told BizWest in an email Tuesday. 

SSC, which spun out of Sierra Nevada Corp. in 2021, had not previously announced Vice’s intent to leave the company, and Vice, who was hired as CEO soon after its separation from Sierra Nevada, was listed on the company’s website as recently as this week. Sierra Space did not provide a reason for his departure, other than to say that he has retired from the company. 

Fatih Ozmen, CEO of Sierra Nevada and chairman of SSC’s board of directors, will serve as Sierra Space’s interim CEO. Eren Ozmen, Fatih Ozmen’s wife and the president and co-owner of Sierra Nevada, will be SSC’s interim president. 

SSC’s main aerospace projects include the Dream Chaser space plane and the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) Habitat, a modular, three-story commercial habitation, business and science platform.

The Dream Chaser’s debut has been delayed several times over the past few years. Most recently, the space plane was expected to launch on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket last summer. The company said on Tuesday that it is on track to launch Dream Chaser this year.

“In 2025, we will be launching Dream Chaser while positioning the company as a major, end-to-end space growth platform that includes our exciting national security capabilities as well as in-space infrastructure and sub-systems businesses,” SSC’s spokesperson said in a statement.

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