Skip to main content

Developing nations may get a shot at space, thanks to the UN's planned spaceplane

un spaceship dream chaser
Sierra Nevada Space Systems
Fetting into space is expensive. That high cost has prevented developing nations from giving their scientists the capability to perform space experiments. That may change if the United Nations is successful in obtaining funding for a U.S.-built space plane set to take off for a two-week mission in 2021.

The UN announced its plans during the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, this past week. The theme is “making space affordable and accessible to all countries,” and the UN appears to be set to do just that.

The organization plans to purchase a Dream Chaser spaceplane to fly these experiments into space. The spaceplane is manufactured by the Nevada-based Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Space Systems, and is the culmination of a summerlong effort between the two groups to find a feasible way for the international body to enter the space race on behalf of countries that otherwise cannot.

Participating nations will be asked to pay a prorated portion of the cost of the experiment, based on two factors: The actual cost of their portion of the mission combined with their ability to pay. Funding is expected to come from a variety of sources — not just the UN’s own coffers — with a funding deadline of 2018, according to the UN’s Office of Outer Space Affairs.

“We will continue to work closely with SNC to define the parameters of this mission, which, in turn, will provide United Nations Member States with the ability to access space in a cost-effective and collaborative manner within a few short years,” Simonetta Di Pippo, the office’s director, said. “The possibilities are endless.”

The UN will work with countries looking to launch their payloads into space, including offering of technical support to those countries that may not have the expertise to plan for payloads in microgravity. While any member country will be able to launch payloads into space, the focus initially will be on those nations without a real space program.

Sierra Nevada already has won a contract to supply the International Space Station between 2017 and 2024, and its planes can either fly with a crew or autonomously. It’s not immediately clear whether or not the UN’s 2021 mission would be a manned one. Regardless, Sierra Nevada sees it as a win for both the company itself and the world at large.

“At SNC, our goal is to pay it forward,” owner and President Eren Ozmen said in a statement. “That means leveraging the creation and success of our Dream Chaser spacecraft to benefit future generations of innovators like us all around the world.”

Editors' Recommendations

Ed Oswald
For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…
Hurricane Genevieve captured in dramatic Space Station shots
hurricane genevieve captured in dramatic space station shots  nasa

International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Chris Cassidy tweeted some dramatic shots of Hurricane Genevieve on Wednesday as the extreme weather system came close to the Baja California peninsula.

The three stunning images (below) show a swirl of thick cloud several hundred miles below the space station, with no land in sight.

Read more
Elon Musk tells SpaceX to double down on Starship development
elon musk tells spacex team to focus on starship development

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has told his team to focus its efforts on the development of Starship, its next-generation reusable rocket system that the commercial space company wants to use for crewed missions to the moon and Mars.

Musk signaled his intention to ramp up work on the ambitious project in a recent internal email obtained by CNBC, and comes just days after SpaceX succeeded with the first crewed launch of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, transporting NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station.

Read more
Tom Cruise and SpaceX may be planning a movie shoot in space
tom cruise and spacex could shoot a movie in space mission  impossible fallout global premiere paris

An important update has been posted at the end of this article.

Tom Cruise is reportedly in talks with SpaceX and NASA about the idea of shooting a movie in space.

Read more