With the global space economy projected to be worth $1 trillion by 2040, it looks like companies in the United States and Japan want to stay ahead of the competition.
In 2021, IHI Aerospace worked with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to build a docking system that complied with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS). Both their active and passive docking systems are expected to be important supporting technologies for NASA’s Artemis Program.
IHI Aerospace, according to an article in Nikkei Asia, will start delivery of docking connectors for Sierra Space by 2026. Sierra Space is a privately owned aerospace and space technologies company based in Louisville, Colorado, and provides a mix of products and services in three areas: transportation, destinations, and applications.
“There is potential for Japanese products to expand export opportunities even beyond Sierra,” said a representative from Japan-owned Kanematsu, whose activities include aerospace and space-related technologies.
Meanwhile, Steve Berroth, general manager and senior vice president of Sierra Space’s Earth Space Systems said: “Our mission at Sierra Space is to create a platform in space to benefit life on Earth. In realizing that vision, safety is paramount in everything we do in commercial space station design and development.”
“IHI Aerospace shares this commitment and we are confident that the company’s passive docking system is the optimal technology to integrate into our platform,” he added.
Last September, four Japanese companies – Tokio Marine, MUFG Bank, Kanematsu, and Nichido Fire – raised $290 million to back Sierra Space’s project to develop the world’s first commercial space station. With the increased funding, the much-anticipated successor to the International Space Station is now valued at $5 billion.
