Sierra Space has announced the promotion of Shawn Buckley to the position of vice president of space destinations. Buckley, an expert in space habitation and expandable habitats, previously served as senior director of engineering and chief technologist of the company’s EarthSpace Systems business. In his new role, Buckley will oversee the company’s portfolio of in-space infrastructure and space station technology offerings. He will also lead the establishment of a product line for space habitation, including the Large Integrated Flexible Environment habitat.
The Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) is an expandable space station technology that can be transported into orbit in a compressed state aboard a conventional rocket. Once in orbit, it can be inflated into a three-story structure capable of housing up to six astronauts. The inflatable habitat is currently under active development and has undergone full-scale structural testing at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, exceeding the agency’s safety and certification guidelines.
Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice expressed confidence in Buckley’s capabilities, stating, “Shawn is our industry’s definitive voice on space station technology, making him the ideal candidate to lead our team’s in-space habitation work during this critical phase of development.” Buckley himself added, “Sierra Space is an industry-leading company that can impact the complete space ecosystem from transportation to on-orbit destinations and the supporting applications and hardware components. I am looking forward to continuing to work with these amazing teams at Sierra Space to drive the future of space commercialization in the Orbital Age.”