Renderings of a Sierra Space Orbital Reef space station and DreamChaser space plane. Photo: Sierra Space

Commercial space station company Sierra Space announced a $290 million Series B funding round on Tuesday, valuing the company at $5.3 billion. The round takes Sierra Space’s total capital raised to $1.7 billion. 

A Japanese strategic partnership co-led the round. The partnership is between MUFG Bank, Kanematsu, and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Japan’s largest property and casualty insurance group. These companies and Sierra Space are currently participating in a JAXA study to explore how to conduct activities in LEO as the International Space Station (ISS) approaches the end of service.

It also includes investment by General Atlantic, Coatue, Moore Strategic Ventures & Sierra Holding Company with participation from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Private Equity Partners, AE Industrial Partners and Vice Family Trust.

Sierra Space’s business is focused on commercial space stations and transportation to and from Earth. It is developing its Dream Chaser spaceplane to provide cargo resupply flights for NASA to the ISS, and to build the Orbital Reef mixed-use commercial space station. Orbital Reef is one of the concepts for a commercial alternative to the ISS with NASA funding. 

Sierra Space said it plans to make more global partnerships and accelerate its plans “to build a transformational space tech ecosystem that will revolutionize the space economy of tomorrow.” 

“Sierra Space is excited to create a long-term strategic relationship with our Japanese investors and industry partners,” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space. “As we transition our revolutionary Dream Chaser spaceplane into operations for NASA cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station, we focus our capital deployment to the development and operations of the first commercial space station – the next step in our in-space infrastructure – the growth of our national security offering and scaling our space systems components business.”

This is the another large funding round for companies working on commercial space stations, after Axiom Space raised $350 million in a Series C round in August. Axiom Space’s lead investors in the round were Saudi financier Aljazira Capital and Boryung, a Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer. Axiom Space has a NASA port award to attach its commercial space station module to the ISS.