Sierra Nevada Corporation (ORBITEC) — Water Capture Device¶
FO Project: 106669 — ORBITEC Water Capture Device (WCD) Parabolic Flight Test
Lead Org: Sierra Nevada Corporation (Sparks, NV)
Period: 2017-04-10 – 2017-08-14 (4 months — one of the shortest FO projects)
TRL: 5 → 6
Set-aside: Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)
Outcome Category: Patent filed; Sierra Space spin-out; Orbital Reef candidate
Confidence: Confirmed (patent); ISS/Orbital Reef deployment speculative
Summary¶
Sierra Nevada's ORBITEC division (acquired 2014) validated a passive, unpowered water capture device in parabolic microgravity in a single 4-month campaign. The device uses capillary forces and microgravity-specific fluid physics to collect airborne moisture droplets with no moving parts. FO produced a US patent (US11213779B2) and a continuation (US11660557B2). The technology passed to Sierra Space (SNC spin-out) and is likely a candidate for Orbital Reef ECLSS. No confirmed ISS or orbital deployment as of 2026.
Technology¶
The WCD is an unpowered, passive device that separates liquid-gas phases using capillary action. Design goals vs. existing humidity condensers: - Lower mass - Lower power (none — passive) - Higher reliability (no moving parts) - Applicable to: humidity removal, condensate recycling, food production, hybrid life support
Why this requires microgravity validation: On Earth, condensate runs down surfaces under gravity. In microgravity, airborne droplets behave differently — they don't settle, form larger aggregates, and can clog or evade ground-designed systems. The WCD uses microgravity capillary flow as a feature, not a workaround.
PI: David Hoerr (ORBITEC/SNC)
Notable co-inventor: Mark Weislogel (Portland State University) — one of the world's leading researchers on capillary fluid dynamics in microgravity; created the "Capillary Channel Flow" experiment on ISS
Patents¶
| Patent | Title | Assignees | Year Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| US11213779B2 | Low-gravity water capture device | Sierra Nevada Corporation + Sierra Space Corporation | 2022 |
| US11660557B2 | Low-gravity water capture device with water stabilization | Sierra Nevada/Sierra Space | 2023 |
Two issued patents suggest sustained IP development after the FO test. The continuation patent (US11660557B2) specifically covers water stabilization — a refinement of the base technology.
Both patents are assigned to both SNC and Sierra Space, reflecting the corporate spin-out that occurred in 2021.
Sierra Space Connection¶
Sierra Space was spun out from Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2021 as a separate commercial space company. Key Sierra Space programs: - Dream Chaser — spaceplane for ISS cargo delivery (SNC contract ~$3.2B potential) - Orbital Reef — commercial space station (joint venture with Blue Origin; $415M+ NASA CLD award)
The WCD patent being assigned to both SNC and Sierra Space ensures this technology is part of the Sierra Space life support portfolio for Orbital Reef's ECLSS design.
USASpending: WCD Contract History¶
Two direct NASA contracts for the Water Capture Device, sourced from USASpending.gov:
| Award ID | Amount | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80JSC018F0021 | $250.0K | 2017-11-16 – 2018-08-31 | Water Capture Device |
| 80JSC019F0020 | $59.7K | 2018-10-31 – 2022-09-24 | Sierra Nevada Corporation Water Capture Device |
The second contract ran from Oct 2018 through Sep 2022 — a 4-year post-FO NASA-funded period that spans the first patent issuance (US11213779B2, 2022). This confirms sustained NASA investment in developing the flight unit. The Sierra Space ECLSS product page states the flight WCD system "is currently being tested at NASA as it prepares to be delivered to the ISS as a technology demonstrator" — language consistent with the 2018–2022 contract period, though no confirmed delivery date is public.
Session 53 Update — Sierra Space Status (Apr 2026)¶
Dream Chaser: Still Grounded¶
Dream Chaser "Tenacity" has not flown as of April 2026. Current status: - Sep 2025: NASA revised the CRS-2 contract — NASA is "no longer obligated for a specific number of resupply missions" (originally 7 ISS cargo flights were specified). The manifest guarantee is gone. - Nov 2025: Tenacity completed electromagnetic interference/compatibility testing at KSC. Remaining: hot-fire test, integrated HW/SW testing, acoustic testing. - Current target: Late 2026 free-flyer demonstration — confirmed NOT an ISS docking mission; will be a free-flyer in LEO. ULA Vulcan Centaur is the launch vehicle. - The program has slipped repeatedly from its original 2021 target date.
Orbital Reef: Behind Competitors¶
- Jun 2025: Completed System Definition Review (SDR) with NASA — a milestone, but the most modest one. PDR (originally planned 2023, then 2024) remains incomplete.
- Aug 4, 2025: NASA put the CLD Certification (CLDC) acquisition on hold, opting to continue funded Space Act Agreements rather than firm-fixed-price certification contracts. FY2026 NASA budget requests $270M+ for CLD.
- Competitor Axiom Space: already manufacturing hardware for modules scheduled to launch 2027. Starlab: locked $217.5M in NASA funding + $40B financing facility.
- Sierra Space completed LIFE habitat burst testing (Nov 2024) and hypervelocity impact testing (Apr 2025).
- Blue Origin is still a partner but stretched across New Glenn and Blue Moon.
Sierra Space: $550M Series C, New CEO (March 2026)¶
- March 5, 2026: Sierra Space closed $550 million Series C at $8 billion valuation. Led by LuminArx Capital Management; other investors include General Atlantic, Coatue, Moore Strategic Ventures, Andalusian Private Capital. Total raised: $1.74B over 4 rounds.
- March 2, 2026: New CEO Dan Jablonsky took office. Fatih Ozmen (SNC founder) becomes Board Chair; prior CEO Tom Vice retired end of 2024.
- Jan 2026: 1,322 employees. Multiple layoff rounds (Nov 2023, Oct 2024).
- Capital described as focused on national security space programs and Dream Chaser development.
Sierra Space ECLSS Portfolio Expanding¶
Despite vehicle delays, Sierra Space's ECLSS product line is active: - Trash Compaction and Processing System (TCPS): NASA contract for ISS testing in late 2026. Uses Catalytic Oxidizer (CatOx) technology. Designed to recover nearly all water from trash while neutralizing contaminants. Targets long-duration lunar/Mars missions. - Existing flight-qualified products: CO2 Removal Package (LiOH cartridge-based) and Desiccant Package (passive humidity control), marketed for Dream Chaser and Orbital Reef integration. - Honda partnership (Apr 2025): Sierra Space supporting Honda R&D in testing a water electrolysis system on ISS — a regenerative fuel cell system. Confirms Sierra Space is an active ISS payload integration partner.
Co-Inventor Update: Weislogel (Portland State)¶
Mark Weislogel — co-inventor on both WCD patents — remains active in microgravity capillary flow: - Mar 2025: Presented "An Investigation into Microgravity Capillary Two-Phase Flows Regarding Passive Bubble Dynamics" at 10th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference, Washington DC (NTRS: 20250001990). - Jul 2025: Presented "Plant Water Management Experiments 5 & 6 on ISS" at ICES 2025 in Prague. PWM-5 and PWM-6 hardware running on ISS studying recirculating hydroponic and ebb-and-flow watering using engineered capillary root modules. - Jul 2024: Published "A Capillary Fluidic CO2 Scrubber for Spacecraft" — extending capillary flow principles from water management to CO2 removal. - Google Scholar: ~2,332 total citations across his body of work.
Patent Status¶
Both patents remain active (US11213779B2 and US11660557B2). No forward citations (cited-by patents) found yet — both are relatively recent (2022, 2023). Expiry: August 2039.
Assessment¶
FO role: One very short campaign (4 months) validated TRL 5→6. That's high efficiency — most FO projects run 2–5 years for the same TRL gain.
Patent outcome: Two issued US patents are a clear IP value creation event. This places WCD among the FO portfolio's documented IP generators (along with JPL Gecko Gripper → patent, NDL → NASA license → Psionic, etc.).
USASpending confirms post-FO investment: $310K in direct NASA WCD contracts (2017–2022) on top of the original FO award. The 2022 contract end date aligns with the first patent issuance — consistent with completion of flight unit testing at NASA JSC.
Downstream uncertainty: Growing. No confirmed ISS delivery. Dream Chaser's free-flyer mission in late 2026 is not an ECLSS cargo flight — WCD cannot fly on it meaningfully. Orbital Reef is further behind competitors (PDR incomplete, CLDC on hold). Both primary deployment vehicles continue to recede on timeline.
New leadership + capital = stabilized but not accelerated. The $550M Series C and Dan Jablonsky as CEO represent a reset for Sierra Space, not an acceleration. The national security focus of the funding suggests defense programs are subsidizing the civil space pipeline, not the reverse.
Archetype: IP Generation → Incumbent/Spin-out pipeline. The company did the right things (patented, sustained NASA investment, spun into appropriate vehicle) but the deployment opportunity continues to recede. Time horizon for Orbital Reef is now 2030+ if it proceeds.
Silver lining: The TCPS contract (ISS testing 2026) and the Honda partnership show Sierra Space is still winning NASA ECLSS contracts and operating as an active ISS integrator. WCD could be bundled with TCPS or other ECLSS modules in a future ISS technology demonstrator slot. Weislogel's continued ISS capillary flow research (PWM-5/6) keeps the underlying science current and relevant.
Contrast with Paragon COSMIC ([paragon-cosmic.md]): Paragon has an installed base on ISS (they already operate the BPA). Sierra Space's WCD has patents and post-FO NASA contracts but no confirmed installed base yet. Path to deployment has lengthened, not shortened.
Cross-References¶
- paragon-cosmic.md — competitor in ISS condensate/water separation space; Paragon has deployed advantage
- sierra-nevada-zgmmd.md — SNC's other FO project (ZGMMD, TRL 9)
- fo-portfolio-tracker.md — portfolio context
Investigated: Session 14 (2026-04-06). Last updated: Session 73 (2026-04-07) — Series C $550M/Dan Jablonsky CEO (Mar 2026); USASpending confirms $310K post-FO WCD contracts at NASA (2017–2022); Dream Chaser confirmed free-flyer only (not ISS docking) late 2026; Orbital Reef SDR Jun 2025, CLDC on hold Aug 2025; Weislogel NTRS 2025 paper on two-phase flow; Honda ISS partnership confirmed. No WCD ISS delivery confirmed.