VIENNA, Sep 26, 2017 (UN Information Service) – The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) have issued a Call for Interest (CFI) for a proposed orbital space mission using SNC’s Dream Chaser® space vehicle.

The proposed mission will allow United Nations Member States to provide payloads or experiments to be flown in low-Earth orbit. Payloads must contribute to the attainment of one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This will be the first ever space mission dedicated to the SDGs.

“We expect our efforts in building industry capacity to have long-term impacts, especially in space-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programmes, and that these results will flow to the wider economy as a whole,” said Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA. “We are here to support developing and emerging countries and institutions so that this mission can really enable inclusive access to space for all and contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

“The benefits of a joint mission between government and private organizations on a level of this scale is incalculable,” said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC’s Space Systems business area. “Sometimes the end-goal is about the science and technology of the experiments, and sometimes it’s about the advancements of the organizations that host the payloads.  In this case, it’s both, and we’re thrilled to provide the vehicle that will make this happen.”

This opportunity is open to all United Nations Member States, and developing and emerging countries are particularly encouraged to apply.

The purpose of the CFI is to ascertain the level of interest from Member States in this initiative, and to determine the level of support each interested party might require.

The CFI can be found on UNOOSA’s website. Responses are due on 1 November 2017.