Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and defense tech prime that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth, announced that the company and a consortium of distinguished Japanese partners have won a prestigious Japan Open Innovation Prize award for their ambitious plans to investigate bringing the Dream Chaser spaceplane to Oita Airport in Japan.
Sierra Space and its partners Japan Airlines, Kanematsu Corporation, Oita Prefecture, MUFG Bank, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, and Space Port Japan Association, received the Selection Committee Special Award at the Seventh Japan Open Innovation Prize hosted by the Government of Japan’s Cabinet Office on February 5, 2025, for their joint initiative, “Building an Ecosystem Connecting Japan and Low Earth Orbit – Towards the Landing of the Dream Chaser® Spaceplane at Oita Airport.”
The Japan Open Innovation Prize recognizes initiatives with high leadership and originality that are expected to serve as role models to further promote open innovation in Japan. It honors exemplary initiatives with significant social impact and sustainability, with minister’s awards and other awards presented in various fields.
The joint initiative by Sierra Space and the company’s partners aims to establish Oita Airport as an Asian hub for the Dream Chaser spaceplane through public-private and international collaboration. It was highly evaluated for its pioneering, collaborative framework that combines expertise from different industries to promote new entries into the space business, and its future development is highly anticipated.
The ambitious plan would create a new Low Earth Orbit ecosystem by utilizing the Dream Chaser spaceplane for launches from Japan, transportation to the space station, and return trips to Japan. This initiative also seeks to convert Oita Airport into a spaceport, serving as a hub between the space station and the ground in Japan and Asia, thereby aiding in regional revitalization and industrial growth. Additionally, by reviewing the legal framework concerning spaceplane re-entry, landing, and spaceports, the initiative will play a role in the development of new regulations.
A robust framework has been established through collaboration between one U.S. company, four Japanese companies, one local government, and one consortium. This collaboration combines expertise from different industries to promote new entries into the space business. With a team of 3-4 members from each of the seven entities, totaling over 20 personnel, this initiative is being advanced through role-sharing, including lobbying government agencies and verifying landing feasibility.
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