Sierra Space Promotes Shawn Buckley to Vice President of Space Destinations: Leading the Development of Revolutionary Inflatable Habitat Technology

As part of its continued expansion, Sierra Space has announced the promotion of Shawn Buckley to the position of vice president of space destinations. Buckley, a seasoned expert in space habitation and expandable habitats, previously served as senior director of engineering and chief technologist for the company’s EarthSpace Systems business.

In his new role, Buckley will oversee the development of a product line for space habitation, which includes the Large Integrated Flexible Environment habitat (LIFE). LIFE is an innovative expandable space station technology that can be transported into orbit in a compressed state aboard a conventional rocket and inflated into a three-story structure with the capacity to house up to six astronauts.

The inflatable habitat is currently under active development and recently underwent full-scale structural testing at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The testing exceeded safety and certification guidelines, giving Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice confidence in Buckley’s ability to lead the company’s in-space habitation work during this critical phase of development.

Buckley expressed his excitement about his new role, saying he is thrilled about the opportunity to impact the entire space ecosystem from transportation to on-orbit destinations and supporting applications and hardware components within Sierra Space. He looks forward to collaborating with the company’s amazing teams to drive innovation and shape the future of space commercialization in this exciting Orbital Age.